THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

150

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

designating september 23-27, 2002 as "kids voting hawaii week".

 

 

WHEREAS, voter turnout in Hawaii and elsewhere has been declining each election year with only fifty-eight per cent of registered voters turning out in the 2000 general election in Hawaii statewide; and

WHEREAS, high school seniors are encouraged to register to vote, but only 379 seniors in Hawaii schools registered to vote and 171 actually voted in 2000; and

WHEREAS, not only has voting participation dropped, there is evidence that an increasingly large number of high school students are not knowledgeable about the three branches of government, how political decisions are made, how to influence elected officials, and civics in general; and

WHEREAS, if this trend continues, government decisions will be made by elected officials representing a smaller and smaller number of voters, which is a dangerous prospect for a democracy; and

WHEREAS, a democracy depends upon having its citizens debate issues affecting all citizens and the active participation of voters who elect their representatives; and

WHEREAS, the best lesson for children is seeing their adult models--parents and parents of friends, relatives, teachers--all taking an active part at the polling place each voting day; and

WHEREAS, Kids Voting USA was organized as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in Arizona and now exists in thirty-nine states and reaches six million children; and

WHEREAS, Kids Voting Hawaii has been an affiliate of Kids Voting USA since 1996 and uses the slogan "Our Voice DO Count!" and is available to all youth in grades kindergarten through grade twelve; and

WHEREAS, Kids Voting is the only voter education program that addresses the Department of Education Social Studies Standards in democracy and political science as it is performance based in allowing students to experience the voting process first-hand on General Election Day; and

WHEREAS, Kids Voting Hawaii has been privately sponsored by American Savings Bank since 1998 as the only statewide voter education program in Hawaii, and other than Arizona, is the only statewide voter preparation program for youth; and

WHEREAS, Kids Voting Hawaii is supported through the volunteer leadership of Rotary District 5000, that has thirty-nine Rotary Clubs across the State, except on Molokai and Lanai where the Lions Clubs staff the Kids Voting Hawaii polling sites; and

WHEREAS, Kids Voting Hawaii has successfully drawn over seventy-seven thousand youth to the official polling sites in General Election 1998 and over fifty-six thousand youth in 2000 General Election; and

WHEREAS, Kids Voting Hawaii receives the participation and teacher leadership by Alpha Delta Kappa Women's Sorority, as well as recognition by the Hawaii State Teacher's Association, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, State of Hawaii Department of Education, the State Parent-Teacher Student Association, the Hawaii State Student Council, the Civic Forum on Public Schools, the Center for Civic Education, the Hawaii Judiciary History Center, the Bishop Museum, the Honolulu Advertiser, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, commercial and community television stations in Hawaii, and other organizations dedicated to the citizenship and civic development of youth; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature hereby designates September 23-27, 2002 as "Kids Voting Hawaii Week"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, the Chief Election Officer, the President of American Savings Bank, the President of Kids Voting Hawaii, the District Governor of Rotary District 5000, the Lions Club of Molokai and Lanai, the President of Hawaii's Alpha Delta Kappa Women's Sorority, as well as the Presidents and Executive Directors of the Hawaii State Teacher's Association, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, the State Parent-Teacher Student Association, the Hawaii State Student Council, the Civic Forum on Public Schools, the Center for Civic Education, the Hawaii Judiciary History Center, the Bishop Museum, the Honolulu Advertiser, and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Kids voting Hawaii week, September 23-27, 2002