Why We Should Support Automatic Voter Registration
How can the will of Hawaiʻi’s people be heard if the masses do not register to vote?
March 18, 2025 · 2 min read
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We, the people, vote to elect our governor, lieutenant governor and state legislators.
The governor and lieutenant governor are elected to a four-year term. State senators are elected to a four-year term and state representatives are elected to a two-year term.
As a result, we don’t hold elections every year and we don’t vote every year.
Our governor and lieutenant governor are responsible for leading the executive branch of government, which executes our state laws. Our elected legislators are responsible for creating laws and approving the state budget.
Our judicial branch has judges and justices appointed by the executive branch and confirmed by the legislative branch. That branch interprets state laws to administer justice.
The laws and state budget impact everyone in the state, and our democracy is structured so that everyone’s voice is expressed through their vote. But how can the will of the people be heard if the masses do not register to vote?
That’s why we need a process to automatically register eligible voters when they interact with a government agency like the department of motor vehicles.
House Concurrent Resolution 117 and companion House Resolution 113 are opportunities to support automatic voter registration in Hawaiʻi.
If the resolutions pass, a working group of stakeholders and experts would formulate an effective plan by which eligible voter information could be gathered through a government agency.
The voter information would be shared with election officials to register a new voter or update an existing registration record.
Voting is a right, not a mandatory requirement.
Individuals would not be forced to automatically register to vote and could choose not to register. Voting is a right, not a mandatory requirement.
I support HR 113 because eligible voters can choose not to register, and registered voters have the option not to vote during an election. Our individual responsibility and rights as citizens to elect the governor, lieutenant governor and state legislators will be supported by the resolutions.
Automatic voter registration promotes civic engagement and provides convenient voter registration options to those who are not encouraged or reminded to vote by family, friends, employers, teachers, community leaders who are not elected, and politicians.
Our state government will be stronger and more vibrant when we systematically support voter registration.
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