RE-REGISTRATION PROGRAM AT THE POLLING PLACES PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1970

As was shown in Table B on page 12, 82.2% of the voters on Oahu reside where they are registered. This means that approximately one out of every five registered voters does not reside at the place at which he is registered. Therefore, the primary goal of this program was to encourage voters to be registered correctly. Our registrars who were stationed near the exit of the polling places re-registered the following:

(1) Voters who had changed their names by marriage, etc., or for a correction of a misspelling.

(2) Voters who had moved within or out of their precinct.

(3) Voters who had not voted in both the Primary and General Elections, 1968.

Table L shows that a total of 3,893 applications were taken on Primary Election Day. Of the 4,216 transactions; 3,259 were for changes of address; 583 for changes in name and 374 for re-registration.

Table M shows that a total of 3,976 applications were taken on General Election Day. Of the 4,274 transactions; 3,554 were for changes of address; 614 for changes in name and 106 for re-registration.

Combining the Primary and General Elections totals, there were a total of 7,869 applications. Of the 8,490 transactions; 6,813 were for changes of address; 1,197 for changes in name and 480 for re-registration. The 6,813 changes of address represent approximately a 3% improvement in the percentage of voters on Oahu residing where they are registered.

In the General Election our registrars also took applications for changes in party preference. A total of 1,019 voters applied for a change.

RESULTS OF THE VOTER REGISTRATION PROGRAM

There were a total of 67,235 applications taken in the City and County of Honolulu during the 1970 Voter Registration Program, which was less than the 78,449 taken during the 1968 Program. Perhaps this is one indication that registration activity is greater during a presidential election year. The total applications for the 1968 and 1970 programs included transactions which were broken down as shown in Table N.

Tables P and Q show the results of the combined registration efforts of both the Offices of the Lieutenant Governor and the City Clerk. Table R shows the number of voters, by representative districts, who failed to vote in the 1970 Primary and General Elections of those who were registered or re-registered by registrars from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

Table R can also be used to analyze the effectiveness of the Voter Registration Program in terms of the individuals turning out to vote after they had been registered. In taking into account all registered voters, 12.6% statewide, and 13.7% in the City and County of Honolulu, were purged from the voters lists because of failure to vote in the 1970 Primary and General Elections (Table S). Of those who were registered by registrars from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, 12.5% were purged. Breaking the figures down further, it was discovered that 9.3% of those registering at locations and 16.7% of those registered by house-to-house registrars were purged. The costs to run these programs are shown in Table O below.

It cost an average of $1.04 per application that was taken by registrars employed by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. The house-to-house application averaged $1.71 and the location application averaged $0.70. These figures indicate that the location method of registering voters is the most successful in terms of cost, volume taken and voter turnout. However, in looking at it from the other side of the ledger, 83.3% of the individuals registered by the house-to-house registrars did vote. Many of these may not have voted if the effort was not made to register them.