The University of Hawaiʻi Professional Assembly has teamed up with Honolulu Civil Beat to get more Hawaiʻi residents to register to vote and to actively participate in the election process.
The innovative, non-partisan campaign involves a Facebook app called “Our Hawaiian Spring” that is designed to encourage more voters, especially those 40 years and under, to be engaged in the election process in this year’s major races.
“UHPA has noted the steady decline in voter participation. We wanted to be a part of efforts to bring positive change to our islands and increase the number of voices that are part of public debate,” said UHPA Associate Executive Director Kristeen Hanselman. “Facebook is all about family and friends talking to one another, probably the most important motivator that encourages voting.”
Anyone with a Facebook account can participate by downloading the Facebook app developed by Honolulu Civil Beat. Participants are also encouraged to forward it to friends, family, colleagues and students.
Our Hawaiian Spring
The app was named “Our Hawaiian Spring” after Arab Spring, the revolution that occurred in the Middle East two years ago.
It is designed as a game and includes resources and links to inform voters about important topics. Voters have one vote per race, but they can change their vote at any time if they learn something through the campaign that changes their mind. Facebook users will be able to see running totals, which are updated in real time to see who’s leading in the different races.
Voters earn points for various tasks beginning with registering for the app. More points can be accumulated for voting, sharing the site via Facebook or Twitter and other elements aimed at encouraging a robust voter turnout. As the game is further developed, users will be able to pull a widget from the site to access customized data.
Read more about how the app works in Honolulu Civil Beat.
