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.

The Ninth Island, Las Vegas

Apparently, Las Vegas is known, at least to Hawaiians, as the ninth island.  The city is a popular vacation and relocation destination for Hawaiians.  So, many Hawaiians feel a special connection to Las Vegas as well as the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama.  Some Hawaiians say they see Obama as the first Hawaiian president, not the first Black president.  Hawaiians who now live in Las Vegas are banding together, forming a group called "Islanders for Obama" and preparing to phone bank for his campaign.  Hawaiians are trying to help in Nevada, a tossup state that could play and important role for either candidate, by donating time, money, and work space.

Hawaiians concerned with economy, oil

Hawaii may not be an industrial hub of the U.S., but the state is feeling the impact of the economy in poor real estate sales.  Hawaii real estate is doing better than most markets on the mainland, but sales are down 30%, which is making a big difference for real estate agents.  The state is already strongly supportive of Barack Obama, and this should simply back up the conviction.  Obama is generally seen as the candidate more capable at dealing with the economy.

A new company in Hawaii called Better Place has begun to develop a plan for the state to decrease its need for gas.  Better Place is a sustainable transportation company, and Hawaii has proven a welcoming market for the electric cars and re-charging networks they offer.  Advocates for the company said that the new market would bring new jobs as well as opportunities to decrease Hawaii's dependence on oil.  In January 2008, local government in Hawaii declared that the state would decrease its oil use by 70% over the next two decades.  Hawaii is without doubt dependent on oil, and in January Hawaii had the highest gas prices and electricity rates in the country.  Hawaii's isolated location makes threats of oil shortages even more daunting.  So, for many reasons, Better Place's proposed influx of electric cars resonates well in the small state.

Low voter turnout in primary election

Hawaii's primary election this weekend sported the lowest turnout in Hawaii primary history (to be clear, this was not a presidential primary) - that's 36.9% turnout.  Primaries do not usually attract high turnout, but there were three mayors' offices up for grabs this weekend.  Nobody seems to be worried about the presidential election, though.  Voter registration surged earlier this year in Hawaii and there has only been speculation that Hawaii's four electoral votes will be a valuable commodity despite their small number.

Old pals trump party politics. No joke.

Democratic Senator from Hawaii Daniel K. Inouye has been maintaining open and active support for long-time friend and colleague Republican Senator from Alaska, Ted Stevens.  Stevens has been indicted on corruption charges and has been receiving huge amounts of criticism, especially with the nomination of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for McCain's running mate.  Inouye, however, says that friendship comes before partisanship and has donated to Stevens' campaign and spoken several times on his behalf.

Will Inouye's actions hurt the Democratic ticket in November?  Unlike Senator Joe Lieberman, Inouye has not sought to discredit his fellow Democrats in any way and the Democrats are naturally downplaying his support for the Republican Senator.  Furthermore, while Inouye has donated $10,ooo to Stevens' campaign, he has given to no other Republicans and has given $175,000 to other Democrats and Democratic causes.  It seems that this is a genuine case of feel-good politics - one politician supporting another from the other side who he feels a connection to and compassion for.  Imagine that.

Hawaii Mayoral Elections

Yesterday, Saturday, Hawaii voters elected new mayors for Honolulu, the Big Island, and Kaua'i as well as other officials.  An article in the Honolulu Advertiser about Board of Education election results makes a forecast for the presidential election: the article is called "Early results show experience trumps change."  According to this article, Board of Education candidates who ran on on a platform of change lost to candidates who ran on experience.  Many of these experienced candidates were also the incumbents, and Hawaiians have a tendency to vote for incumbents, so the results are not too surprising.

Hawaii, strong for Obama fifty days out

With fifty days to the election, Hawaii is leaning strong for Barack Obama, who claims the state as his first home and visits his grandmother there.  The latest available poll from SurveyUSA in Feb. 2008 placed Obama in the lead with 61% support, and with McCain at just 31%.

Hawaii voted Democratic in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 by almost always 50% or higher (in 2004, by 54%).  Hawaii has a Republican governor and two Democratic senators.  All of the state's U.S. Representatives are Democratic, as well as the large majority of its state legislators.  Despite its Democratic trends, Hawaii also sports a strong patriotism and often favors incumbents.  For this reason Hawaii became a battleground state in 2004.  Although there is not an incumbent president, Hawaii's preference for military and patriotic support may make this race closer than would be because of John McCain's military history and identity as an American war hero.  The election of Republican Linda Lingle as governor in 2002 after Democrats had held the office for 40 years also marks a striking moment in Hawaiian history.  Governor Lingle has enjoyed relatively high approval ratings.

Key issues in Hawaii currently have to do with the economy, the environment, and native Hawaiians' rights of governance.

Introduction to Hawaii Politics

Hawaii has a unique history of indigenous peoples and American domination.  In 1993 Bill Clinton actually signed an apology passed by Congress for the overthrow of Hawaii’s Queen Liliuokalani by American planters, businessmen, and U.S. Marines in 1893.  Hawaii has an incredibly diverse population.  In the 1950s, returning WWII veterans joined forces with unions and Japanese Americans to form a solid Democratic machine.   Japanese Americans make up the heart of the Hawaii Democratic Party because of their history of working in organizations and unions, Hawaiian Whites lean Republican, Filipinos are heavily Democratic, Chinese fall in the middle, and Native Hawaiians tend to be Democratic but are less likely to be politically involved.

Hawaii has 4 electoral votes.