Hawaii, very very Obama

Hawaii voted overwhelmingly for native son Barack Obama, giving him four electoral votes toward his victory.  71.8% of voters cast 298,621 votes for Obama and 26.6% of voters cast 110,848 votes for John McCain.  1.5% of voters cast 6,526 votes for other candidates.  Hawaii's voter turnout was only 65.9% this election, less than the 67% who voted in the 2004 election when Hawaii had the lowest turnout in the country.

Turnout by island:

• Big Island: 67.7 percent, or 67,243 of the 99,337 registered voters cast their ballots.

• Maui County: 61.1 percent, or 52,035 of the 85,197 registered voters cast their ballots.

• Kauai: 68.2 percent, or 27,487 of the 40,323 registered voters made it to the polls.

• Oahu: 66 percent, or 308,061, of the 466,499 registered voters cast their ballots.

Hawaii's Republican party suffered losses Tuesday night.  They went from 11 to just eight seats in the 76-seat state legislature.  Republican's failed to even produce candidates for 20 legislative races, on top of Obama's immense local popularity.  The GOP did not dislodge any incumbent Democrats.

Obama has planned another trip to Hawaii in December to honor his grandmother who passed away during the final days of his campaign.  Tickets to the Hawaii State Society's presidential inaugural ball are also on sale and selling out quickly.  Hawaiians are undoubtedly proud of the Democratic candidate, who is not only the first Black president but also the first Hawaiian.

One day to go - Hawaii will vote Obama

With one day to go, Hawaii will vote for its own celebrity frontrunner, Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

Hawaii has a history of voting Democratic, and the state has a personal connection to the candidate.  Hawaii has also felt the pressure from the poor economy and sees hope in Obama's plans for America's future.  There are actually speculations that Obama's trips to Hawaii to visit his grandmother could help tourism there.  Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye has been voicing support for Republican Senator Ted Stevens, claiming injustice in his conviction and saying that he will keep his Senate seat.  However, this is not expected to turn the Hawaii election for McCain.

Democrats in Hawaii are planning celebration parties for Obama's expected victory.

Obama is a proven citizen, rumors continue to spread

Recently, a lot of the news about the election in Hawaii that pops up on my radar has to do with rumors that Obama was not actually born in the United States, thus disqualifying him as a presidential candidate.  Politico ran a story today highlighting some of the most popular myths of this election, and Obama's suspect citizenship was one of them.  Politico writes:

So why isn't this getting wide coverage? Well, first, there's lots of evidence that Obama was born in the United States, and none that he wasn't. The campaign handed over an official copy of his short-form birth certificate — the standard document produced by the Hawaii Department of Health — to Factcheck.org. And Poliltico has confirmed the authenticity of a contemporaneous announcement of his birth in the Honolulu Advertiser.

So there you go, once and for all.  Obama = American citizen.  Spreading rumors like this is totally mean-spirited and unhealthy for our democracy.  I wish that people like Pennsylvania lawyer Philip Berg, who continues to contend that Obama was born in Kenya, would combat Obama's success by organizing people around real issues rather than rumors.

Hawaii strong for Obama with 10 days left

Hawaii is expected to contribute four electoral votes to Obama on November 4.  While Hawaii has not been polled since mid-September, the last poll from Real Clear Politics had Obama leading McCain with 68% support (Rasmussen).

Like the rest of the country, Hawaii is feeling the economic heat.  It is a Democratic leaning state, and Obama gets a big boost from his island roots.  Obama frequently mentions Hawaii when talking about his diverse upbringing and his grandmother who still lives there, and the Obama family took a vacation in Hawaii after the Democratic National Convention.  The Democratic candidate has maintained overall goodwill in the state and Hawaii will most likely vote for him on Election Day.

Obama's citizenship questioned

Apparently a lawsuit has been filed in Hawaii to demand access to Barack Obama's birth certificate in order to verify his U.S. citizenship. The lawsuit is being brought by an avowed Obama opponent. Hawaii health officials receive an average of two requests for Obama's documents every three weeks, but those documents can only be released to someone who has a "tangible relationship" to the person in order to protect privacy of information. The rumor that he is not a citizen has been circulated via email and blogs, but About.com clarifies that this is no more than a myth. Obama was born in Hawaii and is thus a citizen. Case closed.

Obama leaves trail for two days

Obama is leaving the campaign trail for two days to visit his very ill grandmother in Hawaii.  Events for Thursday and Friday this week are either cancelled, or will be headlined by wife Michelle Obama instead.

High voter registration... will there be high turnout?

Maui County has reported a record number of registered voters eligible to vote in the November election.  However, the September 20 primary/first special election also had the potential for record-breaking turnout because of high registration and wound up with a record low turnout of 25.5%.  Officials have also said that statewide voter registration numbers have reached all time highs.  There is little way to know how many of these voters will turn up on or before Election Day, but Hawaii is still solid Obama according to polls.