Change the List

It’s now the morning after Election Day. And while it’s still unclear whether Hawaii will finish last place for voting, preliminary estimates do offer a ray of hope. According to Michael McDonald, an election results guru at George Mason University, Hawaii likely will slip past West Virginia, handing over the title of the “state that doesn’t vote.” It feels too early and too odd to celebrate, though, especially given the calamity that ensued in Hawaii on Tuesday.

The majority of the (Hawaii’s) 233 precincts opened on time this morning at 7 a.m. … The only exception was in Leeward Oahu where a precinct at Mililani High School opened 10 minutes late because of “a misunderstanding” during the initial setting up process, said Rex Quidilla, state elections office spokesman.

The one that stuck in my head the most was the one about Arlington National Cemetery — all the people that gave their lives just so that we could vote. I’m not a military person or nothing like that but they were right, and it makes sense … That’s the main reason I’m going to go try (to vote on Tuesday). If I wouldn’t have read that, I probably wouldn’t.

For those who can’t make it to their voting precincts, (Gov. Chris) Christie ordered election officials to allow displaced New Jersey voters to place their ballots electronically by submitting a mail-in ballot application via e-mail or fax. Once approved, the voter will be sent an electronic ballot that can, in turn, be e-mailed or faxed back to the county clerk.

As the election nears, social networks are being used extensively to try and persuade people of the importance of voting and even beat the record 2008 turnout, when two-thirds of US voters cast a ballot in the election. A project endorsed by First Lady Michelle Obama, for instance, encourages people to take photos with their kids when they vote and post them on social networks, to teach the younger generation about the workings of democracy. On Foursquare, the location-based social network, users can connect an app to their account and find the nearest polling station. On Tuesday, they will be able to see who voted across the United States on an online map. And Facebook will reportedly post get-out-the-vote messages Tuesday to millions of voting-age Americans on the social network.

A recent report from Educational Testing Services suggests that “With just over a week until the presidential election, there’s little hope of a high voter turnout among young people.” Low levels of civic engagement, limited knowledge of civics and government and indifference toward political affairs are to blame, according to the report. Voting rates are especially low among people with the lowest levels of education, with only 23 percent voting in the 2008 election. And only 4 percent of young, low-income high school dropouts voted in that election, says the report.