August 8, 2012
Gil Riviere
Hawaii State Capitol, Room 319
Honolulu, HI, 96813
(808) 586-6380
Dear Representative Riviere,
I am a college student and lifelong
resident of Waialua. I appreciate what you have done for our district thus far.
I am writing to urge you to take action on establishing Election Day voter
registration for the people of Hawaii.
I do not doubt that you have read
about the miserable voter turnout statistics we hold here. The opportunity to
register to vote on Election Day would be a great step toward increasing that
turnout. As it stands, voters must register at least 30 days before an election
in order to participate, but an increase in campaigning in that month directly
preceding the election means that many become interested in the issues when
they are no longer eligible to have a say in them. With Election Day
registration, those voters would be included in the political process.
Journalist Ian Lind recently wrote an
article for Honolulu Civil Beat in which he said, “A 2011 study by Demos, a New
York-based policy research and advocacy group, estimated overall voter turnout
in Hawaii would be boosted by 5.3 percent, while some segments of the
population would benefit even more.” A 5.3% increase would be great progress
for our state.
Election Day voter registration has
been successful in other states. Eight states have a form of the program, and
have seen increases in voter turnout as a result. Hawaii should be next.
Again, I am very happy with you as
my Representative. Thank you for your service!
Sincerely,
Holly Berlin
Disclaimer: I speak as an individual, NOT on behalf of Common Cause Hawaii. All opinions are my own.
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