THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

90

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

proclaiming september 2002 as voter education month.

 

 

WHEREAS, voting is a fundamental privilege, right, responsibility, and obligation of all citizens – which is not explicitly taught in Hawaii's public education system; and

WHEREAS, in the public schools, there is no deliberate, official, or formal program of voter education, voter literacy, or voter instruction, nor are Hawaii's public school students required to take a civics education course in order to graduate; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, voter apathy has grown over the past twenty years and in 2000, Hawaii recorded the lowest percentage of voter turnout in the country's general elections; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, 93.6 per cent of registered voters actually voted in the 1959 general election while in 2000, only 58.2 per cent of registered voters turned out to vote; and

WHEREAS, results from a 1998 national survey show that an increasingly large number of high school students do not know the three branches of government and are not inclined to participate in political activities; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, only three hundred seventy-nine high school seniors registered to vote in the 2000 general election and voter registration numbers are dismally low, especially for individuals between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four; and

WHEREAS, the percentage of women voters in Hawaii is one of the lowest in the nation; and

WHEREAS, statistics show that adult voter registration numbers have increased because registration has been made easier, but voter turnout has decreased over the years; and

WHEREAS, there continue to be invalid ballots cast in the primary elections because of cross party or multiparty voting – a condition which may be partly explained by unfamiliarity with the purpose and function of the single party system used in the primary election and which may be corrected by voter education; and

WHEREAS, this body finds that voter apathy and lack of voter knowledge, distrust of public officials, and cynicism of government in general have decreased voting in Hawaii's elections; and

WHEREAS, voting can alter the composition of legislatures, school boards, neighborhood boards, county councils, and determine the filling of other elected offices, and thus directly affects public policy; and

WHEREAS, several important events will occur in September, 2002:

(1) The Hawaii State primary election day for 2002 is September 21, 2002;

(2) Hawaii's legislators will participate in a "back-to-school week" during the third week of September; and

(3) National KIDS VOTING week is the fourth week of September;

and

WHEREAS, a strong election awareness program, different activities involving elected officials, hands-on use of voting machines, and other kinds of election projects can be undertaken during the entire month of September so that more citizens can register to vote and voters can be educated to turn out to vote on an informed basis; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, that this body proclaims September 2002 as "Voter Education Month"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Chief Election Officer, the Clerks of the counties of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and the Clerk of the City and County of Honolulu, and the Superintendent of Education.

 

 

 

 

Report Title:

September 2002; Voter Education Month