Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 10, 1 October 1990 — Your vote counts in general election [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Your vote counts in general election

by Deborah L. Ward The Hawai'i general election takes plaee Tuesday, Nov. 6. As a servire to its readers, Ka Wai Ola O OHA provides these notices on the general election. For more detailed information voters should contact the Hawai'i Voter Hotline at 1-453-VOTE or (l-800-454-VOTE on the neighbor islands). Register now for the general election The deadline to register for the General Election is Monday, Oct. 8. In order to register, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a legal resident of the state of Hawai'i and 18 years old or older. Citizens need to re-register to vote if they moved or changed their name since the 1988 elections or if they did not vote at all in 1988.

Registering to vote is easy with the new mail-in Wikiwiki Voter Registration forms, available to the public at libraries, post offices and hundreds of retail locations. Registrants only need to piek up a form, complete it, sign it, put a stamp on it and mail it in to their countv clerk (all addresses are provided). For information about where to get a Wikiwiki Voter Registration form eall the Hawai'i Voter Hotline: on O'ahu, 453-VOTE; on the neighbor islands eall 1 -800-442- VOTE. Absentee voting People who are unable to vote at their polling plaee on eleehon day for any of the following reasons may do so by absentee ballot. Individuals who:

1. live in a remote area; 2. are home bound, institutiona!ized or disabled; 3. are absent from their county or district of residence; 4. are in prison for a misdemeanor or awaiting trial; 5. hold a conflicting religious belief. Walk-in absentee balloting is possible approximately 10 days before the OHA eleehon. This is done at the city/county clerk's office. The absentee polling plaee is open during business hours on weekdays and in the morning on Saturdays. Applications for mail-in absentee ballots for the continued page 15

Workshops for kupuna are a favorite part of the OHA 'Aha Kupuna, being held Oct. 19-21. Last May, Enoka Kaina of Lomilomi Ola, shown here, demonstrated "pi kai," salt-water cleansing.

Vote '90 /rom page 1 general and OHA elections will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Qct. 30. Applications are available from the county clerk's office. For more information eall the state Voter Hotline at l-453-VOTE or eall the county clerk office on eaeh island. Background The Office of Hawaiian Affairs was established by a 1978 Constitutional Amendment. The purpose of OHA is to "promote the betterment of conditions of Hawaiians." OHA is the pnneipal state agency whieh coordinates programs affecting Hawaiians, receives grants and donations for Hawaiian programs and services; and serves as a trustee of possible reparations from the federai government. Election of OHA Trustees The OHA election is held every two years at the same time as the general eleehon. This year the eleehon will be on T uesday, Nov. 6. This will be the sixth eleehon for the OHA Board of Trustees. There are five seats to be filled in 1990. The trustees serve staggered four-year terms and are elected statewide. Of the five seats to be filled in

this eleehon, two have residency requirements. The trustees who represent O'ahu and Maui must reside on those islands. The remaining three trustee seats are "at-large" and candidates may live on any of the islands. However, all OHA voters may vote for a candidate in eaeh of the four OHA races, regardless of whether a candidate is running "at-large" or as a resident of a particular island. Voting require»nents To vote in the OHA eleehon, a person must be: • of Hawaiian ancestry • a U.S. citizen • a resident of Hawai'i • age 18 or older Persons do not need to show proof of Hawaiian ancestry at the time of registration, but must sign an affidavit swearing and affirming.that they are Hawaiian. If challenged, they must be able to prove they are Hawaiian. Challenges ean be made before eleehon day by writing to the city/county clerk, or on election day at the polling plaee. The OHA ballot Every person registered to vote in OHA elections will be issued an OHA ballot aiong with the regular eleehon ballots, at the pol!ing plaee. If for some reason, you do not receive a separate OHA ballot at your polling plaee, be sure to request one from the voter assistant.