Hawaii election resources

I’m filling out my absentee ballot for the general election, and while I knew how I was going to vote on the federal and state legislative candidates, that’s only about 1/6th of the ballot. So I was tracking down some resources for finding information about candidates and issues and thought others might also benefit. Note that the official Office of Elections website is pretty useless for this type of info.

For those looking for information on federal races, Project Vote Smart is pretty cool: you answer questions about issues, and it tells you how similar the candidates running in your area are to your views.

Board of Education

The League of Women Voters has a rather comprehensive list of candidates running in the general election, including the Board of Education. Some candidates have provided statements and campaign websites, some have not.

Olelo (excuse my lack of diacriticals) has a nifty Candidates in Focus site where you can watch a video statement from many of the candidates.

The Star-Advertiser has made BoE endorsements, though read the comment from one candidate that says he was never even contacted by the paper.

Constitutional Ammendments

On the amendment to switch the BoE from elected to appointed, the League of Women Voters has a decent Pro-Con PDF that lays out the issue. I found the historical documents from 1970 (last time such an amendment was proposed) that oppose appointment not very helpful, since they didn’t clearly articulate the reasoning behind the position.

The LWV has another pro-con PDF on the tax rebate requirement amendment.

C&C Charter Amendments

Again, the LWV comes through. Council member Dela Cruz has a presentation [PDF] that explains in more detail what the charter changes mean (without any pros or cons). The LWV has a pro-con PDF that covers all 6 amendments.

I hope others find this information useful.

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