Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 10, 1 October 2014 — CANDIDATE GAME VOTERS FIND THEIR MATCH [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CANDIDATE GAME VOTERS FIND THEIR MATCH

ILLUSTRHTIDn BV nELĒOn GHSPHR

"Remember The Dating Game?" asks □□e Heaukulani. The BB Tees retail specialist is referring tū the 'ēūe TV shūtj uhere a smiling uoman questiūns three bachelDrs. all hiūūen behint a uiall. Ehe'ū make a ūate uiith one baseū on the ansuers tū her questiūns. Heaukulani brings up the ūefuncl campy game shDW tū campare it tū the Canūiūate Game. a ūigital platfūrm createū in BD1B by cūmmunity □rganizatiūn Kanu Hauail to eūucate anū engage the public on key Hauail issues. thus galvanizing them to vote. Similar to the TV bachelorettes, game participants answer questions using loeal candidate responses without knowing who wrote what, and choose answers that resonate with them. "You make informed decisions," says Heaukulani, a game volunteer and participant. "It gets you away from name recognition and party affiliations." In the past loeal eleehon, more than 25,000 people played the Candidate Game. Participants answered questions about hot-topic issues - many of whieh are still pertinent today - including homelessness, education, affordable housing, jobs, rail, traffic and more. The grassroots group is orchestrating the game again with a goal of reaching just as many people, says Kanu Hawai'i Candidate Game coordinator Darcie Scharfenstein. This election season, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is contracting with Kanu Hawai'i. The questionnaire sent to all 161 Hawai'i candidates this summer includes 22 questions specifically on Native Hawaiian issues that were incorporated into this year's game, whieh goes live on OHA's website in October. For the first time, candidates running foi OHA trustee are also participating. "It's one pieee of how we ean furthei engage Hawai'i residents and their oppor|tunity for civic engagement," says 'Auli'i George, OHA community outreach coor-

^ dinator. She says Kanu Hawai'i's sociopolitical mission aligns well

with the Hawaiian-serving agency's motto, "Empowering Hawaiians, Strengthening Hawai'i." BUILDinG STOCK in LOCRL DEIĪ10CRRCV Over the past few decades, voter turnout across the islands has plummeted to unsurpassed lows, both on loeal and nahonal scales; Hawai'i ranked last in the nation for voter parheipahon in the past two presidential elections . That's why the grassroots group, known for its commitment to energy conservation and environmental protection, decided to take back the vote here at home.

In the past, dozens of volunteers, primarily people in their 20s and 30s, canvassed O'ahu neighborhoods historically known for low voter registration and

civic engagement, such as Wai'anae, Nānākuli, Kāne'ohe, Waimānalo and lower Mānoa. Their goals were threefold, says Scharfenstein: register new voters, get puhlie input on important eommU'

nity issues and eompile voter guides and post-election data to then hold puhlie officials accountable. Rather than assemble the standard candidate Q&As or dull issue reports - most people don't read them anyway - in fall 20 1 2, a cadre of Kanu Hawai'i members created the online Candidate Game, an easy-to-navigate, nonpartisan user survey. After identifying their district, by filling in their street name and ZIP code, "players,"

the way you view campaigns, and even your stance. "I shocked myself,"

says former state Democratic Rep. Lyla Berg about playing the Candidate Game two years ago. "I voted for a person of a different party!" "It was an effort to dig deeper and be educated on the issues, and where candidates stand on the issues," adds Scharfenstein, "versus just going based on the guy you saw sign waving the most on your drive home." This year's version is more comprehensive, she says. For instance, it applies unique questions for eaeh political race, varying fromtwo to 10 questions eaeh. Kanu Hawai'i volunteers spent months drafting the surveys and compiling candidate responses. "The

game is going to be more specific so voters will be able to have a good understanding of where the candidates stand," she says. It's something Hawai'i politicians took seriously, too. "They get a lot of questions during campaign season," says Scharfenstein. "Candidates appreciate that (Kanu Hawai'i's) questions are thoughtful." She says that about 75 percent of candidates completed the survey for the game. RRISinG RURREnESS, ElīlPOUERinG UOTERS _ In addition to the requisite issue questions on environment

and education, the k 2014 Candidate Game will have a strong focus on Native Hawaiian issues. Not only will the eight OHA trustee :andidates have policy

opinions pertaining to the Native Hawaiian community and its needs and wants, but eaeh of the federal, state and city candidates have their own specific answers, too. "I think we ean all agree that it's one area that needed attention," says Kanu Hawai'i board member and game volunteer Karen Shishido. "It's an area where voters have these important choices and need this information." The 20,000-member-strong organization collaborated with OHA to craft detailed Hawaiian-issues-oriented questions that would help provide information to the puhlie about the different policies and positions affecting the community today. It was the driving force in partnering with Kanu Hawai'i, says George. "It may not completely solve all the civic issues we have with laek of voter turnout, etc., but it's one step in the right direction," she says. "It's OHA's kuleana to provide information and then let people decide how they want to vote." The 22 questions addressing Hawaiian issues range fromnation building, Hawaiian language state school tests, preserving historic Hawaiian sites and burials, protecting freshwater resources, combating chronic diseases within the Native Hawaiian populahon, lowering the percentage of Native Hawaiians in our criminal justice system to the future of 30 acres of Kaka'ako Makai. "This is all about making sure your voice is heard," says Kanu Hawai'i member Heaukulani. He says this year's Native Hawaiian focus will expound the issues enveloping the community, whether you're Hawaiian or not. "Some of my friends who are not Hawaiian and not in tune with the issues ean find out information and have a better frame of referenee when they go to the polls." ■ Tiffany Hi.ll is a freelance writer based i.n Honolulu. She wri.tes locallyfor Hawaii Business, Hawai'i magazine, Hana Hou! magazine and Hawaiian news website akeakamaihawaii. eom. ■■■

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answered issue-based questions using eandidate responses. The fun part? They didn't know whieh polkieian wrote what, enabling participants to leam about important issues without party affiliations and moneyed interests blurring the lines. After answering questions for 15 minutes, they'd get a report on candidates that best matched their views and values. Eighty-seven percent of the 4,000 people Kanu Hawai'i engaged, voted, says Kanu Hawai'i adviser James Koshiba. Not being able to identify politicians to their statements ean change