Tag Archives: election

What’s on Hawaii’s General Election Ballot in November 2008?

Hawaii voter at the ballot box

In addition to national presidential and vice-presidential candidates, several state races and important issues will be on this November’s ballot in Hawaii’s General Election. The State of Hawaii Office of Elections publishes the entire list on their website.

NOTE: I just received my absentee ballot and list the details of what’s on it in the post “Preview of Hawaii’s General Election Ballot”.

SEE THE ELECTION RESULTS

1. PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION

Shall the age qualification for the office of governor and office of lieutenant governor be reduced from thirty-five years of age to twenty-five years of age?

In other words, should we lower the age eligibility for gubernatorial candidates?

CON CON

Should we convene a constitutional convention?

In other words, should we think about changing the state’s constitution. But there’s nothing in particular at this point that is proposed to change.

2. CONTESTS

Up for grabs are the following offices:

  • President (1) and Vice-President (1)
  • U.S. Representative (2)
  • State Senator (12)
  • Board of Education (7)
  • Office of Hawaiian Affairs (4)
  • Hawaii — Mayor (1)
  • Hawaii — Councilmember (9)
  • Hawaii — Prosecuting Attorney (1)
  • Maui — Councilmember (9)
  • Kauai — Councilmember (7)
  • Kauai — Prosecuting Attorney (1)
  • Honolulu — Mayor (1)
  • Honolulu — Councilmember (5)
  • Honolulu — Prosecuting Attorney (1)

Obama McCain Nader Comparison

Which candidate best matches your views? Here are few ways to sift through the hype and partisan bickering to figure it out.

To start, download the non-partisan guide published by the League of Women Voters called the “2008 Presidential Election General Election Voter’s Guide”. They offer brief, non-partisan information in detail. For instance, did you know that the President of the United States earns a salary of $400,000 per year? According to Salary.com, that’s equivalent to most presidents of public universities and football coaches.

The nonpartisan site, glassbooth.org, is another good place to go for more in-depth comparisons of the candidates. You can take a closer look at each of the three presidential candidates, Barack Obama, John McCain and Ralph Nader. (If you’re looking more info on each candidate’s pick for VP, see the post “Biden Palin Comparison”.)

At glassbooth, you can compare the presidential candidates on these issues:

  • Abortion and Birth Control
  • Civil Liberties and Domestic Security
  • Crime and Punishment
  • Education
  • Environment and Energy
  • Gay Rights
  • Gun Control
  • Health Care
  • Immigration
  • Iraq and Foreign Policy
  • Medical Marijuana and Drug Policy
  • Social Security
  • Taxes and Budget
  • Trade and Economics

Let’s take a closer look at the three candidates on one issue, the environment and energy. Obama supports the idea that human pollution is a significant cause of global warming. McCain says the same. Nader strongly supports the idea that human pollution is a significant cause of global warming. Read more at glassbooth to see where they differ.

Or you can start with issues and work back to which candidate most closely matches your views by taking glassbooth’s quiz. There are twenty issues, and you rank each of them according to how much it means to you. The issues in the quiz are the same as those listed above.

Another informative, non-partisan site to compare the candidates is procon.org . In addition, users can compare the pros and cons of controversial issues such as gay rights, illegal immigration, and the death penalty.