Emilio Rosete didn't vote on Tuesday because he said he was "too busy" and uninterested.

He wasn't the only one. Tuesday's general election saw the lowest percentage of voter turnout in state history among those who were registered, despite efforts to mobilize by various organizations.

Rosete, a retired U.S. Marine sergeant from Makaha, attributes the dismal turnout to widespread apathy. "People have just lost trust and lost interest in the political system," he said.

Just under 53 percent of those registered — 348,299 — voted in Tuesday's general election, compared with 57 percent in 2002 (the last gubernatorial election year) and 67 percent in 2004, when there was a presidential election.

Hawai'i had the lowest voter turnout in the nation in both the 2002 and 2004 general elections, according to the U.S. Census.

Turnout this time was expected to be low. There were no close contests, no galvanizing issues and just an all-around lack of excitement.

"You don't get as much buzz here. You don't get as many ads. You don't get as many national people," said University of Hawai'i political science professor Neal Milner.

On top of that, the most interesting races had been decided before Tuesday.

"In Hawai'i, the general election had less excitement because many of our hot races were decided in the primary," said Sue Irvine, president of the League of Women Voters of Hawai'i.

"It wasn't exciting. The candidates weren't exciting. It was pretty predictable," said Robert Tangonan, a part-time criminal justice instructor at Honolulu Community College. "I can remember in the '60s, '70s and '80s when the candidates were more exciting, more charismatic."

ISSUE OF CONVENIENCE

For others, voting was too inconvenient.

Tisha Kitaura, a claims adjuster for a local insurance company, lives in Waimanalo but works downtown and said it was too hard to get to the precinct on Election Day.

"A lot of employers, they give you a certain amount of time, but it's not really enough time to get there and then you have to stand in long lines," Kitaura said. "The absentee ballots, I always forget to sign up for that."

Strategies to boost turnout in other states included same-day registration, instead of having to do it weeks in advance, as in Hawai'i.

Milner said anything to make voting more convenient would help.

Absentee voters can already vote by mail or at designated polling places before Election Day, and he suggests adding ATM-like electronic voting machines to make it even easier for people to vote on their own time.

"The more convenient, the higher the turnout," Milner said.

Bobby Biondine, an electrician from Halawa Heights, voted Tuesday but said he was disappointed that so many registered voters chose to stay home.

"I figure it's my right and privilege to cast my vote," he said. "I don't know why it is that people choose not to vote. Maybe some feel like the same candidates will win anyway."

Having incumbents in the highest-profile races probably contributed to the low turnout, as it has historically done when a governor is running for a second term, with the exception of Linda Lingle's run against then-Gov. Ben Cayetano in 1998, said Randy Perreira, the deputy executive director of the Hawai'i Government Employees Association.

"It drives apathy because people say, 'My voice doesn't count.' It just feeds upon itself, unfortunately," he said. "The power of incumbency gave Gov. Lingle a tremendous advantage."

Sam Aiona, chairman of the Hawai'i Republican Party, said Lingle's campaign was a four-year effort that included the governor personally signing up volunteers and asking people to vote for her.

While Lingle got 63 percent of the votes, the Republicans, already the minority, lost two seats in the House.

Aiona said low turnout contributed to that, but added, "If you have low voter turnout, that's simply because the candidates themselves did a poor job of turning out their voters."

BOOSTING TURNOUT

No one had an immediate solution to address low turnout, but AARP has found success with its nonpartisan voter education programs aimed at voters older than 50.

Candidate forums, advocacy training programs, basic education sessions and the only televised debate between U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka and his challenger, U.S. Rep. Ed Case, kept interest up in the primary.

"An informed voter is someone who is more likely to be an involved citizen, someone who is more likely to vote and cast their ballot," said Hawai'i AARP spokesman Bruce Bottorff.

Irvine of the League of Women Voters suggested aiming efforts at children and is encouraged that nationally young adults seem more engaged.

Whether the school-based civics Kids Voting Hawai'i program will change voter behavior is still up in the air, but almost 73 percent of students registered cast their online ballots.

Kids Voting Hawai'i board chairwoman Linda Coble said the program could help get children into the habit of being good citizens. "I don't know how that can't translate into more young adult voters in the future," she said.

Milner joked that fining voters $100 for failing to go to the polls would improve the numbers: "If you want to get turnout up, you can have mandatory elections."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com and Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.