Maui students rally at “Walk to the Box” event to encourage Native Hawaiian voter turnout
To mark the opening of voter service centers across Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian students from the Kamehameha School – Maui campus traveled to the Wailuku Community Center to drop off their General Election ballots. All of the students in attendance were first-time voters, with several of them voting in person.
Following their visit to the voter service center at the Wailuku Community Center, the students rallied at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center in Kahului to sign wave and encourage the public to participate in the General Election.
This event was a part of the larger “Walk To The Box” effort being organized this week across the state to highlight the importance of Native Hawaiian civic engagement and turnout at the polls. Organizers hope this event encourages Maui residents to vote and become civically engaged members and leaders in their communities.
“Voting as a Native Hawaiian and as the next generation of voters matters because our values and perspectives about what is meaningful to us should be reflected in the decisions made by our leaders,” said Māhie Dean, the President of the Associated Students of Kamehameha Schools Maui (ASKSM). “We need to vote for the best candidates that will represent the voice of our lāhui because we will be around to see the lasting effects of these impactful decisions on our land, community and people.”
“As future ʻōiwi leaders, it is our kuleana to aloha ʻāina so that our connection to our paeʻāina will not be lost and derailed by development and decisions made by poor leadership. If we want our voice to be heard, we need to vote for the right people who will advocate for kānaka maoli ways of life. The only way is by doing our part and taking the initiative to vote. Koho pāloka au!”
Māhie Dean, the President of the Associated Students of Kamehameha Schools Maui
The General Election is on Nov. 8, 2022.
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