We all hear the reasons and excuses. But we’re in last place. CNN did a feature story on us and called Hawai‘i “The State That Doesn’t Vote.”

It hasn’t always been that way. In 1959, 93 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. In the 60s, voter turnout was consistently in the high 80 percentile. In 1974, we dropped to 79 percent, but bounced back into the 80 percentile during the 1980s.

The downward spiral started in 1996, when 67 percent of all registered voters showed up at the polls. Our all-time low of 52 percent was posted in the last General Election – the lowest voter turnout in the country.

So who are the conscientious, responsible, loyal citizens among us who will be counted in next Tuesday’s General Election?

On the next Insights on PBS Hawai‘i, we’ll hear from three of them: a millennial who has managed not to be disillusioned; a long-time believer in the process who has voted consistently throughout the decades; and a naturalized U.S. citizen who embraces the privilege of participating in America’s democracy. They’ll be joined by Colin Moore, political science professor at University of Hawai‘i – Manoa; Spencer Oshita, Editor of Ka Leo O Hawai‘i; and Wayne Yoshioka, reporter at Hawaii Public Radio.

Your questions and comments are welcome via phone, email and via Twitter during the Live Broadcast.

Phone Lines:
462-5000 on Oahu or 800-238-4847 on the Neighbor Islands.

Email:
insights@pbshawaii.org

Twitter:
Join our live discussion using #pbsinsights