Help for Puzzled Voters - Hawaii Weekly, Nov. 2, 1952

The Hawaii Weekly - Nov. 2, 1952

Help for Puzzled Voters
By MRS. RALPH C. HOEBER
Public Relations Chairman, League of Women Voters

SPECIAL PROJECT — Leaguers assisted the Armed Services YMCA Java club with meetings on national candidates and issues. Here, A. A. Lester Wilcox, USN, gets details about voting in his home state of Oregon from Miss Margaret Lawrence and Mrs. Paul Miho, chairman of project. (Don Klopf photo.)

VOTERS HAVE only two more days to decide how to vote on candidates and on issues which will deeply affect the community for good or bad. As election draws nearer, charges and countercharges of partisan politicians grow louder and the conscientious voter becomes more and more confused.
The League of Women Voters of Honolulu offers free, non-partisan service to puzzled voters. It is a non-partisan organization affiliated with the League of Women Voters of the United States. Its purpose is to encourage citizens to cast an informed vote and to follow up their action to get good government.
The hunched members of the Honolulu league are women with a social conscience, from both Democratic and Republican parties and from nearly all racial groups. When one hundred women of all types work together harmoniously for a worthy cause, they make news.
In its three and a half years of existence the local league has achieved a record of service through providing non-partisan information to voters and taking action in the public interest.
The league has been providing non-partisan information on government, candidates, issues and voting procedures to the general public, organizations and individuals by radio, press, telephone and personal contacts.
League members worked for three years gathering and compiling information to help voters check on the duties, qualifications and records of elective and appointive officials in the city-county government of Honolulu. They gathered facts by doing research in municipal records, interviewing county officials, taking field trips and observing at supervisors' meetings and hearings. This information, after being checked by specialists and county officials, was published in two simple, inexpensive handbooks, "In Honolulu Hale, We Elect" and "In Honolulu Hale, They Appoint."
The voters service committee of the league recently used a questionnaire in interviews to get facts about the qualifications of city-county candidates and their views on four important issues in the present election. The replies of candidates, published in a local newspaper on the two days preceding the primary election, served as an aid to voters of both parties.
A non-partisan rally for all city-county candidates who were nominated in the primary was held by the league 10 days after that election and broadcast as a public service to those who could not attend. This rally gave voters a chance to hear and compare opposing candidates. The accompanying pictures illustrate some of the league's projects.
The league has taken action for or against an issue in the interest of the whole community when the problem is related to its program for study and action. For example, the league helped to prevent the relaxing of ordinances which prohibit the drinking of liquor in public parks.
During 1952-53 the Honolulu league Is studying possible provisions for a new charter for the city-county of Honolulu. The league will support legislation to enable people of this community to adopt a charter which will promote more efficient local government.
Money to finance the work of the league is raised through membership dues and contributions. No communitywide drive is made for funds, but the two weeks Nov. 5 to 19 have been set aside for soliciting contributions from members and friends of the league.

CHECK INFORMATION — Mrs. Herman Burrell, Mrs. Ralph Myers and Mrs. Wendell Mordy, editorial chairman, check the manuscript of a voters hand-book with Dr. Robert Kamins, associate professor of economics, U. of H., and assistant director, Hawaii Legislative Reference bureau. (Camera Hawaii.)

GATHERING INFORMATION FOR VOTERS — Voters League members gather information from reliable sources. Here Mrs. Eldon Morrell and Dr. Teru Togasaki obtain data for a voters handbook on city-county government from Karl A. Sinclair, city-county chief engineer and head of the public works department. (Camera Hawaii.)

NON-PARTISAN POLITICAL RALLY — Officials at 'political' rally and radio broad-cast are, left to right, Dr. Ralph C. Hoeber, chairman, department of economics and business, University of Hawaii; Arthur Gaeth, radio commentator, and Mrs. Ralph Myers, president of the league. (Don Klopf photo.)

DISTRIBUTING VOTERS HANDBOOK — Mrs. Ralph Myers, president of the Honolulu league, and Mrs. Newton Pierce of Washington, D. C., national organization secretary, present the local league's latest handbook to Frank Drees, director of adult education, school department. (Advertiser photo.)

FORUM ON ELECTION ISSUE — Left to right are Robert Faulkner, superintendent of Honolulu schools; Jules Fine, Dr. Robert Kamins, Rod Gudgel and Dr. Roy Brown, chairman, Honolulu Chamber of Commerce tax study committee, discuss pros and cons of school bonds at a league forum. (Don Klopf photo.)

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