After the primary results that had many empty ballots, some are hoping more voters start paying attention to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs this fall.
From Mauna Kea, to the decades long waiting list for Hawaiian Homestead land, it's a pivotal time in the Native Hawaiian community.
It was against that backdrop that there were two big Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) races on the ballot this past Saturday during the state's primary election.
For the Oahu Resident Trustee race, incumbent Kalei Akaka, the granddaughter of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka won in a landslide with 56% of the vote over her nearest opponent.
There was also a race for the at-large Trustee seats. 6 candidates advanced to the general election, where voters will choose the top 3 candidates to win seats.
The top six vote-getters to advance to November are former State Sen. Brickwood Galuteria, John Waihee IV, Lei Ahu Isa, former football player Chad Owens, Keoni Souza, and Sam King.
But turnout in both races was low - 42% of voters in the Oahu trustee race and 46% of voters in the at-large race simply left their ballots blank.
Galuteria is hoping to improve those numbers in November. "Take a look at the ballot, study everybody on the ballot and vote with your heart because everyone has a Hawaiian heart at the end of the day," he says.
The reasons for the blank votes are many - some voters are more interested in bigger races at the top of the ticket like Governor and U.S. House. Some aren't informed about the candidates and issues. And there's also debate about whether non-Hawaiians should vote in OHA races.
It's a touchy subject. Although all registered voters regardless of their ethnic background can vote in OHA races, some wonder whether non-kanaka should have say.
Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu says it's a difficult balancing act - fighting for her community and candidates who support Native Hawaiian interests, but also realizing it's in everyone's hands and that native Hawaiians are a minority in their own state.
"Any support that we get even from outside the Hawaiian community I believe we should have, and I believe we should work hard to try and secure," she says.
She's hoping that within the limits of the current system, all voters will do their homework and support candidates that give the Hawaiian community a seat at the table.
"Everyone has to step up and all of us, kanaka, kama'aina, and malihini as well need to give more credence to the place of my people in our own home," she says.
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