10 Things to Know About the Maui County Voter Initiative

  This year's election season in Hawai'i has been an exciting time for some, an upsetting time for others and has provided puzzling moments for all.
  We have seen surprisingly stunning defeats (current Governor Abercrombie being unseated by opponent David Ige in the primary) and surprisingly heartfelt and grassroots-assisted runs by first-time candidates.
  What I've noticed in this roller coaster ride of an election season, is that money doesn't always win out. In the gubernatorial run, Abercrombie had bigger coffers than Ige and easily outspent the challenger in publicity. What Ige had was the power of the people. Grassroots efforts led on all islands and by people who believed in this man's integrity and politics.
  This same kind of "David versus Goliath" type of struggle is going on in Maui County now regards a historic Voter Initiative that will be on all Maui County ballots in the General Election this November. It is a story of BigAg money and misinformation opposed by a growing grassroots movement of the people, by the people, for our beloved 'āina.
  In defense of ku'u mokupuni (my dearest island), I offer you 10 things you should know about the Voters' Initiative. Feel free to share with your friends, open discussions, reach out and inform others and vote with knowledge and confidence.

10 Things to Know About the Maui County Voter Initiative
1) KNOW ITS TITLE (What's all the hakakā (fight) about?)
  - "A Bill Placing a Moratorium on the Cultivation of Genetically Engineered Organisms" which, if passed, would read as "Article __ Moratorium on the Cultivation of Genetically Engineered Organisms" within the Maui County Code Chapter 20.39

2) KNOW ITS SUMMARY STATEMENT (because the wording of the ballot question can be confusing)
  - "SECTION 1: Summary Statement..." ( paragraphs 2, 3 and 4) clarify WHAT the moratorium addresses and WHY it is being addressed:
  (Paragraph 2)= " The Genetically Engineered (GE) Operations and Practices occurring in Maui County (also known as GMO) are different than GE food production farming and therefore pose different circumstances, risks and concerns. In Maui County, GE Operations and  Practices include the cultivation of GE seed crops, experimental GE test crops and extensive pesticide use including the testing of experimental Pesticides and their combinations in what is effectively an outdoor laboratory." NOW, What I understand this to mean is that those individuals or businesses that are engaging in FOOD PRODUCTION FARMING are not who this moratorium seeks to address. It directly addresses those who would use Maui as an experimental lab; a wahi to test pesticides before release to the open market.
  FURTHER, in paragraphs 3 and 4, the "meat" of the initiative is explained again because the citizens of Maui are concerned about GE Operations and Practices in Maui County, we call for a SUSPENSION of all GE Operations and Practices through this temporary MORATORIUM initiative.

3) KNOW IT IS NOT A BAN -  Nowhere in the initiative does the word 'ban' appear. Ever.

4) KNOW THE SPECIFICS OF THE TEMPORARY MORATORIUM IF PASSED 
 "Section 5: Temporary Moratorium" would make it "unlawful for any person or entity to knowingly propagate, cultivate, raise, grow or test Genetically Engineered Organisms within the County of Maui " and further states that it "does NOT apply to: (a) the propagation, cultivation, raising, growing or testing of GE Organisms that are in mid-growth cycle when this chapter is enacted". It also would not apply to: "GE Organisms already incorporated into food or medicine for human or animal consumption", "any health practitioner using products containing GE Organisms" on their human patients, nor "any fully accredited college or university that engages in non-commercial research... provided that such activities are conducted under enclosed indoor laboratory conditions..."

5) KNOW THAT IT IS NOT A BAN AGAINST FARMERS, BACKYARD GARDENERS OR SCHOOL GARDENS
  -Again, I have found no text stating or detailing any type of "ban" or prohibition of food farming and production, backyard gardening or gardens in school environments. If you can find such text, please point it out to me. I include this link to the official Maui County site where the Charter Amendments may be viewed.

6) KNOW THAT FOOD FARMERS, BACKYARD GARDENERS, PAPAYA GROWERS AND SCHOOL GARDENERS WILL NOT BE THROWN IN JAIL (Don't laugh... These sentiments have been a part of a very heavy and expensive media campaign by those who want to continue with business as usual.)
- Those individuals or entities engaging in GE Operations and Practices and are found in violation of this chapter may be subject to one or more of several actions for a violation, continuing violations or recurring violations. These actions include civil penalties, criminal recourse and physical seizure of GE Organisms at violator's expense. (See "Section 9: Right of Action for Violations, subsection 2: Civil Penalties; subsection 3: Criminal Recourse and subsection 4: Failure to Comply with Injunction".)

7) KNOW THAT MORE THAN LIBERALS AND TRANSPLANTS ARE VOTING "YES!"
- This movement is more than a political belief; more than the amount of years a person has spent living here... this movement is about caring for our 'āina, caring for ourselves, caring for our families and friends; wanting healthy produce, clean water and fresh air. It's not a political platform. It's the realization of our kuleana to the island we live on and to the generations that come after us.
 I was born and raised on my beloved mokupuni, Maui. I was educated in both the public and private school systems. I gave birth to my daughter here on this island and want to ensure that this island remains as fertile and abundant as it has been since before I was born. It's not about political affiliations or being told what to do by someone who was "flown here not grown here". It's about taking responsibility for protecting what you love.

8) KNOW THAT YOU NEED TO BE A REGISTERED VOTER TO VOTE ON THIS INITIATIVE
- Only properly and lawfully registered voters will be able to vote on this initiative as it appears on the ballot this November. If you are not currently registered, you still have time to do so. Voter Registration Drives are happening across the island at sign waving events, candidate forums and talk story events. You can also pick up a Voter Registration form at the Maui County Clerk's Office on the 7th floor of the County Bldg. If all else fails, I carry around a stack of registration forms and can help you register OR find out if you are already registered and what precinct you are registered in.
PLEASE NOTE: For our brothers and sisters who have previously been incarcerated, you are still eligible to vote. You CANNOT vote if you are currently incarcerated or have been within the last year.

9) KNOW THAT NOT VOTING DOESN'T COUNT AS A 'YES' VOTE OR A 'no' VOTE
- Upon checking with the Maui County Clerk's Office, leaving the box blank counts as neither a 'YES' nor a 'no' vote. It is 'undecided'; not counted.
 But why leave it blank? Why leave it up to others who WILL check one of those boxes? Vote with confidence. Vote with knowledge, not fear or innuendo.

10) KNOW THAT YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!
- So many times we hear (and might even believe a little ourselves) that our single vote; our tiny voice, can't be heard and won't be counted amongst the numerous other voices backed by money, back door politics, etc. It can oft be discouraging when we look at the slate of candidates to "choose" from or legislation that is so wordy and lengthy that it could give one a headache to navigate the tricky paths they take. Even worse it sometimes feels we are having to "choose between the lesser of two evils".

We must not give up. We must endeavor to take advantage of the hard fought right to vote that those who came before us sacrificed for. Whether we believe in the current system of government or not, it is a very real fact that these issues are facing us NOW. We cannot wait for the ideal government to arise and deal with it. We must take it upon ourselves, each and every one of us, to speak up for that which cannot speak out: our 'āina; our future generations. We must take up the yoke of this responsibility: 'auamo that which truly IS our kuleana... and we must strive to do it together.

Thirty-Two Point Two Percent

Sounds like the beginning of some kind of solution, doesn't it? Something a little dangerous? Something a little... forbidden? Thirty-two point two percent...
That's the percentage of registered voters in Maui County that turned out to vote in the Hawai'i's Primary Elections. Whether mail-in absentee ballot or early walk-in voting (prompted by the oncoming hurricanes), only 32.2% of Maui's 85,581 registered voters decided for ALL of Maui County (and that includes the islands of Moloka'i and Lāna'i) which candidates would move forward into the General Elections to be held this November.
A recent article here: http://mauinow.com/2014/08/11/voter-turnout-in-maui-county-lowest-in-state highlights the abysmal turnout. Why?! This has been a year where many issues faced our government and the actions (or inactions) of some politicians have proved hazardous or even deleterious to our Hawai'i way of life. There have been complaints throughout not just Maui County but the entire state, of the need to effect a change in the leadership of our government. Yet here we are, looking at the same faces in the same races.
Sure there are some stellar, surprising upsets like Senator David Ige and Mark Takai and a too-close-to-call race between Colleen Hanabusa and Brian Schatz for the seat Schatz currently holds. But there could have been some major upsets if more people had voted.
Plain and simple. If you don't vote, you can guarantee many more years of the "same old stuff". That's how cronies are born: people are too disgusted or don't believe in change so they don't vote. Those that vote keep voting the way they have been and the same people get voted into office year after year to continue their own agendas until they are so firmly entrenched in the government that they somehow become indispensable to us.
It is easy to get frustrated or disillusioned with our system of governance or even with those who would represent us. But let's not allow ourselves to suffer from a form of Stockholm Syndrome and continue to allow those who would oppress us and occupy our governance as they do now.
How do we change things? Voter guides, public events, meet and greets and "coffee hours" don't seem to bring the vote out at election time. Is it ease of voting? Getting registered?
Let me hear it folks. If you didn't vote, why didn't you? You can email me privately at PelesGrrl@gmail.com if you don't want to post me here in the comments section.
I'll be discussing candidates facing off in the General Election, race by race, in my upcoming blog posts. I'll try to be as fair and objective as I can to give you as honest a description as I can. At the end of each post, I'll reveal the candidate I endorse.
32.2%. It seems... that's all it takes.