As a younger Millennial, I can’t tell you how many times I heard a friend or classmate or coworker give me the same excuse over and over when I asked them if they had voted.

“No, I don’t want to vote for any of them!”

“I don’t want to vote for the lesser of two evils.”

Putting aside my opinion for a second — that voting shouldn’t be a matter if you like someone 100% or not — I always have a retort that I rarely say aloud. 

Then go and fix that!

According to Ballotpedia, the number of uncontested races in 2024 was the highest that they had seen since they started tracking in 2018. Out of 76,902 races, “53,485 (70%) were uncontested and 23,417 (30%) were contested.”

Civil Beat reported that, in Hawaiʻi specifically, 2024 had  “the lowest number of candidate filings in a decade.” There were just 279 candidates in 2024, as opposed to 2022’s 400 candidates.

Anyone can complain about the politicians in office. What a lot of people don’t do is either run to unseat their elected officials when they find themselves wanting, or campaign for someone who they would happily stand out in the sun for hours sign waving for. Sign-waving for my brother Alexander Ozawa, who ran to unseat our House representative who has been in that seat for nearly 14 years, is an experience I will never forget.

It’s not that I don’t understand our political apathy, because I do. Our Legislature refuses to pass any sort of government reform, my generation will likely never see a dime of Social Security, and inflation is raising the cost of living for all of us.

We Need More Zohrans

The political apathy of our residents is a big reason why a lot of these long-standing elected officials are still in office, even after 20, 30, sometimes even 40 years. All my politically aware friends could talk about last month was the Democratic primary victory of Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old first-time candidate, beating (for now) former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Can you imagine if Hawaiʻi could have a few Zohrans of our own? I can’t help but think that a slate of new, non-establishment candidates have a shot at finally getting our electorate excited to vote again.
This is not just a problem in Hawaiʻi — it’s something that political pundits across the country can’t help but lie awake at night thinking about.

Would Donald Trump’s monstrosity of a budget bill have had any chance at passing the Congress this summer if a few dozen GOP senators who have been in office since the Reagan administration had been term limited? Should we have people in office who are too afraid to vote how they really feel just to appease a president, because their seat is the only job that they’ve ever known? 

Is the prospect of running for office yourself terrifying? Absolutely. But organizations like Run For Something are here to help Millennial and Gen Z first-time candidates. There are also local programs like Kuleana Academy or Partners for Democracy, which anyone can apply for, regardless of age or political party.

If I may quote one of the most iconic fictional presidents of our time, “Decisions are made by those who show up.”

You can’t expect change in Hawaiʻi to happen with the same people in the same seats for the next 10 years. Let’s give some different people a try.