Oahu resident Mark White urges those who haven't decided who to vote for to make up their mind what sort of country they want to live in, while stating that the local races carry a greater weight for Oahu voters.
White, who lives in Waipahu, spoke with the Honolulu Reporter to share his views on the Nov. 3 election. He says that much more is riding on this election than the next four years.
"I certainly do think this election is a watershed election for what our country is going to look like for the next several years beyond the next four years," said White. "Whoever wins the election is going to set the tone and timbre for our country for again, not just for four years, but for decades to follow.."
White supports President Donald Trump, but doesn't know if the incumbent will win locally.
"You know I'm voting for the incumbent because I think Donald Trump represents the best chance we have of saving the principles of America's founding," said White, explaining that, in his eyes, "the best government is the least government. So, I'm not going to be voting for any candidates that want to expand the role of federal government in my life or anyone's life. That would be, then, I'm not voting for Joe Biden or Kamala Harris."
White said local legislative races are just as important for the state as the presidential election, especially for Oahu voters.
"And not only is the legislative race important in my district and several others, we have 51 House districts and every one of them is on the ballot essentially," White said. "But the mayor's race is important too. Honolulu mayor is also essentially the county executive for the entire island of Oahu and so the mayor of Honolulu is the second most powerful chief executive in the state — the governor being the most powerful and so, actually, that's an important race as well."
White said he is the state director for the Convention of States, which is a nonpartisan organization.
"Governments are to preserve rights, not create their own or make decisions on who gets what rights and who doesn't," White said.
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