By: Rick Blangiardi
The state Office of Elections doesn't exactly enjoy
the greatest reputation.
You will recall that during last year's primary
election, 13 Big Island polling places opened late.
And on Oahu, 17 percent of our polling places had
ballot shortages during the Nov. 6 election. Investigations commenced and some
elections officials lost their jobs.
That doesn't inspire confidence in an electorate
that already ranks at or near the bottom of the list in voter turnout.
But give credit to where it is due to some state
legislators who want to make it enticing to get voters to the polls by allowing
eligible voters to register to vote on election day.
As it stands, registration must be completed at
least 30 days before the election but House bill 321 aims to change that.
Another proposal from Gov. Abercrombie is that we
change to a mail-in ballot system.
All of these efforts should be applauded as methods
to help us do better when it comes to a state that casts less than half of
eligible ballots.
The system we have now is not working. Let's try
something that does.
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