PBS Hawai‘i Town Hall: Voting for the First Time

Photo: Courtesy of PBS Hawai‘i

Do you remember voting for the first time? For anyone Generation X and above, when your voting rite of passage happened, it involved walking into a polling place, slipping behind a cloth apron for privacy, marking choices on a paper ballot (making sure you colored in the box correctly!), then dropping the ballot into a collection box, or in recent years, having it scanned by a machine that confirmed your vote.

Voting was tangible and personal. Today, that has changed. Instead of going to a polling place, your ballot arrives in your mailbox, and you can cast your vote from the comfort of your home. Yet while the process has changed, what has not is the fundamental right to vote and the symbol of civic duty when you turn 18.

Each presidential election year, the country sees a surge in voter turnout, particularly younger voters who have become a viable demographic for candidates to court. Recent studies showed a notable shift in the 2020 and 2022 elections where youth turnout increased significantly, driven more by pressing issues than by party allegiance.

However, the enthusiasm of young voters is not guaranteed. A recent WLRN* report noted that historically, youth voter turnout has been low and analyses from the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans* suggest a troubling trend: many young voters feel disillusioned, believing that the government is incapable of addressing the critical challenges they face.

What do first-time voters think? We reached out across the state inviting these first-time voters to participate in our upcoming Kākou: Hawai‘i’s Town Hall to express why they believe voting is important and what motivates their participation in the electoral process. We’ll explore their concerns for the future and which issues matter most to them. We’ll ask what they hope to hear from candidates, how they gather information about them and what they want candidates to understand about their perspectives.

*Sources: WLRN, Berkeley News

Kākou: Hawai‘i’s Town Hall

First-Time Voters

Thursday, Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m.

Broadcast and streaming on the PBS Hawai‘i Facebook and YouTube

SEE ALSO: Mauka to Makai: Our Kuleana, a PBS Hawai‘i Climate Change Discussion Initiative

Every month, HONOLULU publishes a blog written by the folks at PBS Hawai‘i, the only locally owned, statewide television station in Hawai‘i that receives support mainly through donations. Visit pbshawaii.org to learn more about exceptional, locally produced shows and the most prominent provider of educational and national programming. Explore music and the arts, discover in-depth documentaries and learn what makes Hawai‘i so special. Follow PBS Hawai‘i on all platforms: @pbshawaii