Want to increase political diversity in Hawaii? Promote civic engagement

If the 2024 US presidential election has shown anything, it is that there is a worrying lack of civic engagement among the Hawaiian population. In the last primary election in particular, voter turnout was an embarrassing 32.1%, according to statistics from the State Office of Elections.

This statistic points to a truism in our state’s local politics: the lack of political diversity in Hawaii. If you’re wondering why many voters simply don’t vote, it’s not just inertia or disillusionment with government, but also the lack of choice that stems from our state’s one-party rule.

For this reason, it is critical that our state foster an environment that encourages candidates from other parties, such as the Republican Party, to run for office and provides voters with a greater mix of candidates.

One only has to look at history to understand the situation we find ourselves in. The Democratic Party has dominated Hawaii politics since 1962, when John Burns was elected governor. The rise of Governor Burns changed the ethos of Hawaii’s political scene and brought an end to Republican rule over the islands.

Republicans had considerable influence in Hawaii during the territorial period, but since 1962 the party has had very minimal representation in our state’s government.

Let the record show itself: We have had two Republican governors, William Quinn and Linda Lingle; Only twice has Hawaii voted for a Republican presidential candidate, Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984; and we had a Republican U.S. Senator from Hawaii, Hiram Fong.

Even today, the party’s 76-member legislature still has just nine representatives and three senators, despite it being the largest Republican caucus in 20 years. To put it simply: You need a book to list all the Democrats in our state government, while all you need for the Republicans is a Post-it note.

Such a significant imbalance in our political makeup leads to complacency, stagnation and a lack of drive that politicians need to carry out the will of their voters. When this is the case, voters are dissatisfied with their elected officials and feel there is no point in voting. If Democrats have no need to prove themselves, how can we expect them to help the state?

Recent public corruption scandals, such as those involving disgraced Reps. J. Kalani English and Ty Cullen, are certainly not doing anything to encourage people to vote. And unless there is viable resistance to the Democratic Party, corrupt officials will continue to be elected and discontent will continue.

As in any dynamic society, ideas play an enormous role in shaping its direction. It was Richard Weaver, a renowned American intellectual, who once said that “ideas have consequences.”

Only when opposing ideas collide is social progress achieved.

We must end Hawaii’s one-party rule.

However, there is no such conflict in Hawaii, so we have the same solutions available to solve the same problems.

Has the problem of homelessness or affordable housing been effectively addressed? We are still far behind the state’s goal of 50,000 affordable housing units, while anyone with a pair of eyes can still see the enormous homeless population across Hawaii.

If our state wants to increase civic engagement, we must end Hawaii’s one-party rule and allow candidates from different parties to run for office. Including more town halls and debates between candidates from opposing parties would expose people to different ideas and provide alternatives to the Democratic Party.

If the people of Hawaii truly desire change, we must forge a new path.