Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 10, 1 October 1996 — The gift of voting [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The gift of voting

bv Kina'u Boyd Kamali'i Trustee At-Large

The result of the H a w a i i a n Sovereignty Vote were to have been announced on September 2nd — in honor of Queen Lili'uoklani's birthday. This symbolic gift was delayed however when the Hawai'i

federal court ordered a 10-day delay in this announcement to allow for a formal ruhng on (1) the suits brought to invalidate the vote and (2) to allow the parties to appeal the ruling. Another delay has just been announced by the court. And the deadline for submitting this eol-

umn does not allow including the announcement of results. This delay — no matter how

hurtful and troubling — acts as a powerful reminder of the injustices whieh have occurred when the Hawaiian people have been denied their vote. Let's revisit recent history, and remind ourselves of the consequences when Hawaiians were

deprived of their vote. The major thrust of the "Bayonet Constitution" of 1889 was to limit voting by imposing ineome and property quaIifications before citizens of the Kingdom could run for offlce or vote in an election. Almost half of those who had been registered were then disqualified. By 1892 only about

14,000 voters were registered. Before this shift in voting strength, the Kingdom Legislature has refused to ratify the re-negoti-ated Treaty of Reciprocity with the United States whieh ceded Pearl Harbor to America forever. Onee forced changes in voting were effected, the treaty was approved. American military interests were assured — and secret plans to make Hawai'i a strategic force in United States policy proceeded. Four years later in January, 1893 Queen Lili'uokalani let it be known that she intended to issue a new constitution. Among the changes she anticipated making was the repeal of these ineome and prof>erty barriers to voter participation. In Hawai'i, this anticipated action was used as the pretext for loeal rebels to attempt an overthrow of the govemment —

and for American troops to land. Even before the Queen entmsted Hawaiian sovereignty to the United States, these rebels had declared a provisional government. No elections were held during the next two years. Then, when the corrupt Republic of Hawai'i re-established elections another qualification was required of voters: an oath of loyalty to the Republic. Those refusing to swear loyalty to this false govemment then reduced the number of voters to less than 3,000 voters in 1 895. In 1898 when the United States was deliberating the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, the issue of a vote of the people on this issue was again raised. When informed that any vote would result in a rejection of union with the United States it was decided to proceed without a vote.

Any time any one wants to dispossess the Hawaiian people, their first step is to limit or eliminate the right of the people to vote. Only today they don't need to use bayonets or Navy cruisers — they rely on apathy or distmst to undermine voting. Perhaps if we remember the high piiee Hawaiians have paid — the overthrow, the theft of nationhood, and then the taking of the lands — we will have a better understanding of our vote and what it means. Today, we would never allow someone to take away our vote. But unless we exercise our rights — we allow something far worse, we have thrown away our vote. No matter what choices you are making this November 5th — please vote. That's the real gift the Queen would have cherished.