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November 7, 2000 Election Day

Although I’m not convinced that my vote really counts, I cast my ballots this morning. I voted for President of the United States, Hawai`i’s Board of Education (BOE) members, and U.S. Senators and Representatives, but skipped the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) part.

This year, for the first time, non-Hawaiian members were allowed to vote for OHA trustees. I can kinda-sorta understand why the federal courts of our nation declared OHA elections open to all residents of Hawai`i, but in more ways, I cannot. I don’t really know much about OHA, nor do I think I have to. The way I see it, OHA was created to help the native Hawaiian people, and that it is a privilege that should be afforded to them.

I certainly can “feel” Hawaiian, as I know of nothing else. I was born and raised here, and Hawai`i is the only place I could ever call “home.” My great-grandparents immigrated to Hawai`i from Japan almost a century ago, and although it was a wonderful experience to “find my roots” there, Japan is still a foreign country to me. But although I feel Hawaiian, I am not Hawaiian in the context that OHA was intended for. I respect that, and so I didn’t vote.

Actually, I hadn’t voted for a long time. I never felt educated enough to. If not for my cousin, an attorney who encourages me to vote, turn in my census surveys, and comply with my duties as a good American citizen, I probably still wouldn’t vote. After changing addresses and even my name in the past year, registering to vote was a very conscientious process for me. But I did it, and exercised my right to vote this year.

With this right came a responsibility to understand the issues and candidates that would appear on my ballot. As I study to become a teacher, my greatest concern was the Board of Education vote. First of all, it seems very strange that the public is given the responsibility to choose the BOE members. I think it should be the right of the Governor, or the State Superintendent, or education experts and consultants-anyone but the general public. But that’s another issue. Knowing that I would have to vote for somebody, I asked my professors at UH, our guest speakers, and made my decision that way.

Tonight all the television stations are broadcasting the election results. It’s 7:15 PM now, and some races look too close to call. Perhaps my vote will actually count this year.