The 2026 election may seem far away, but the national Voter Participation Center is already sending out postcards to get people registered to vote in Hawaiʻi.
The organization sent 17,000 postcards to residents who are not registered to vote. The postcard includes a QR code that will take the person to the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections website, where they can register.
The QR code also allows the Voter Participation Center to send reminders to vote when it's time.
The organization's CEO, Tom Lopach, explained that this is the first time they have sent these cards to people in Hawaiʻi, although it has done this work nationally for 22 years.
“ You never know when the next election cycle will be,” he said.
“There are frequently special elections occurring. Many municipalities have odd-year elections, and the sooner we get people registered and on the voter file, the more that others can reach out and educate them about the issues, the candidates, where to vote, when to vote. Being on the voter file is pretty beneficial to being educated about upcoming elections.”
He added that underrepresented communities, like people of color, young people and unmarried women, have a higher rate of not being registered to vote.
In Hawaii, 35% of that population is not registered to vote. In comparison, 14% of people outside that population are unregistered.
