Try Think: The End of Voter Apathy?

Try Think: The End Of Voter Apathy?
Friday, February 12th, 3:30-5:00 PM (HST) via Zoom (link will be sent upon registration)
To Register: Click Here

With an estimated two-thirds of eligible Americans voting, the highest turnout in a century, the nationwide voter turnout for the 2020 election was more than just record-breaking, it was inspirational, influential, and an integral part of change in our country.  BIPOC voters —Black, Indigenous, and other people of color— and motivated young voters made their voices heard. Here in Hawai’i, where voter turnout typically ranks among the lowest in the nation, nearly 70% of all registered voters cast a ballot, far higher than the 43% that voted in the 2016 election. What have we learned from the 2020 election? What does it mean for the future of Hawai’i’s elections? Anomaly? Start of a new trajectory in civic engagement?

For our next Try Think community conversation, we invite you to come and reflect on this past election cycle and imagine what this could mean for elections to come. Our conversation will take place on Friday, February 12th from 3:30pm-5:00pm HST via Zoom. You can register for this conversation via this link.

We are presenting this conversation as part of the Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation initiative and in collaboration with our friends at the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center (JHC). On Tuesday, February 9th from 5:30pm-6:30pm, the JHC, in partnership with the Hawai’i Council for the Humanities, will be presenting The Power of Hawai’i’s Voters: Agency and Representation in Elections. Panelists for this discussion include Dr. Ngoc Phan, Davis Price, Dr. Amy Agbayani and Dyson Chee. Our Try Think conversation will provide space for community to connect over topics and ideas discussed at this event. Although not a requirement for attendance to our Try think conversation, we encourage all who are interested to attend. For more information on the event, the panelists, and to register, please click the following link: The Power of Hawai’i’s Voters:; Agency and Representation in Elections.

In preparation for our event, we have included links to resources below that may help to generate additional thoughts and questions to bring to this Try Think event.

2020 Election By The Numbers

The Importance of Voter Engagement During Racial Uprising and a Global Pandemic

First-Time BIPOC Voters On The Issues That Matter Most To Them

If this will be your first time attending one of our Try Think conversations, the premise is simple. The goal of Try Think is to build and strengthen our communities by bringing people together to participate in meaningful conversations around topics and ideas that we, as a group, find interesting and important. We ask each person to bring with them a question or idea that you would like to discuss with the group related to the theme.  All questions are welcome. As a group, we will vote on the question or idea that will lead our discussions.

We look forward to seeing you all and seeing where our conversation will take us. If you have any questions, please contact Rob Chang at rchang@hihumanities.org.