[UPDATE: Crap. The contest is canceled. See below.]
Check it. In an effort to encourage everyone to vote, Hawaii Five-0 star Daniel Dae Kim is holding a little online contest called #iVOTED, where the winner will win a trip to Hawaii and a visit to the set of Hawaii Five-0. All you have to do to enter is show everybody, via Twitter photo, that you voted. Here are some more details on how to enter:
1. GO OUT AND VOTE! It doesn’t matter whether it’s early voting, absentee voting, or the old fashioned go-to-the-polls kind. It doesn’t even matter who you vote for. Just get out there and do your thing.Daniel is conducting this whole contest on his own, because he believes in the power of you and your vote. For further information on the contest, how to enter, and what you'll win, go to Daniel's Facebook post: Show me you #iVOTED and you could win a free...
2. Show me proof with #iVOTED. Take a picture of yourself at the polling station, or with your postage ready absentee ballot – something to show me that you did your part to shape the future of our country. Then ATTACH THE PHOTO TO A TWEET AND SEND IT TO ME WITH THE HASHTAG: #iVOTED
3. Wait until November 9, when I will go through the submissions FROM THOSE WHO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER and announce the winner!
UPDATE: Bad news. Daniel has been informed that the #iVOTE contest is in violation of a Hawaii State Election Fraud statute! So the contest has been canceled:
No good deed...It was a great idea. Just, you know, illegal. Still, please vote! Even without the incentive of a fabulous trip to Hawaii. Thanks for trying, Daniel. More here.
So I have some very bad news everybody. I just heard from the Hawaii State Attorney General's Office today, who told me that the #iVOTED contest is in violation of a Hawaii State Election Fraud statute, specifically Chapter 19-3, which you can read here:
http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/hawaii/hi-statutes/hawaii_statutes_19-3
As a result, I'm afraid I'm going to have to withdraw the #iVOTED contest. I'm so sorry to everyone who took the time to submit. I received some really amazing photos and was so impressed with how enthusiastic you guys were. If I could think of any legal way to keep it going, I would do it in a heartbeat. I've even thought of other alternatives I could offer to encourage people, but apparently it's even illegal to offer a tweet session to say thanks. Again, sorry.
Though I'm happy to comply with the law, I do have to say that it saddens me that in the state with the lowest voter turnout in America...
http://cnnchangethelist.tumblr.com/post/31526477522/heres-the-list-hawaii-has-the-lowest-voter-turnout
...it's even harder than in other states to get people to vote.
On the bright side, here’s an article that tells you what we residents of Hawaii CAN do:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/opinion/ctl-hawaii-voting-recommendations/index.html
Whether or not I'm able to host a contest though, I hope you'll still get out there and please vote; and I really hope you'll keep sending me pics and tweets showing you did. I promise you I'll be smiling when I see them.
Thanks again everybody. Also mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines and The Modern Honolulu Hotel for their support. I'll see you on twitter, Facebook and of course, your TV screens.
With deepest aloha-
Daniel
