The 2024 election is shaping up to be one of the biggest elections to date. And not just because it is a presidential year, but because of the wide spectrum of allegations and complaints surrounding the validity and integrity of our elections which has put our democratic institution at stake.

Attacks have been made on the validity of our voter rolls, to the security of our elections, to ballots being mishandled and so on. Most, if not all, of these allegations stem from a population determined to sow misinformation that erode our democratic institution by undermining the public’s confidence in our electoral process.

We shouldn’t stand for this breakdown of our democracy and must be willing to uphold our democratic institution by ensuring that we do our part to maintain the foundation of our electoral process.

The voter roll is the bedrock on which our elections are built. It is the list that comprises our electorate. It informs election officials whether a voter is properly registered to receive a ballot. Election officials maintain the voter rolls, but maintenance of the rolls also requires us to do our part.

In the 2022 general election, there were more than 850,000 registered voters. And if you have ever done a mass mail-out, you will know that not every mail piece is deliverable.

Election officials have statutory responsibilities in maintaining the voter rolls, from sending out Notices of Voter Registration to working with state agencies to receive names of voters who become ineligible due to death or while incarcerated for a felony. But election officials do not know if you moved from Honolulu to Hilo or if your child has moved to another state.

Which is why we all need to get into the habit of checking that our voter registration is current. Just as you update your banking institution with a change of address, you must keep your voter registration up to date because ballots are non-forwardable through the mail.

Track Your Ballot

If your voter registration record has an outdated address, your ballot will not get to you. So, now is the time to check that your registration is kosher. Call your County Elections Division or check online at elections.hawaii.gov. It’s simple and only takes a few minutes of your time.

Since Hawaii is a vote-by-mail state, being able to track your ballot is key and the Office of Elections offers a ballot tracking service for voters. It is a free service in which you choose how you want to receive your ballot notifications, whether by text, email, phone — or even all three.

You will also be notified if there is an issue with your return ballot envelope. All voters should sign up and take advantage of this free service so that you know exactly where your ballot is in the process and most importantly to know that your vote has been counted.

I signed up to receive email and text notifications for the 2022 elections and found it assuring to know that my ballot was received and counted.

Finally, we can all do our part to ensure the integrity of our elections by only getting our information from a trusted or official source. In the climate of misinformation and AI being the norm, one can easily get caught up in the surge of bad information.

But if we all take a proactive approach of checking with a trusted source and sharing accurate information, collectively we can combat the spread of misinformation. Election officials not only conduct elections, but they are also there to educate us as voters.

We would all be better off if we took the time to understand why a ballot is being sent to an old tenant at your address or why your signature is required on the outside of the return identification envelope, it’s a step in the right direction to upholding our democracy.

As the old adage goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” When it comes to our elections it takes the entire state of Hawaii to uphold democracy. So let us all do our part as we head into an important election.