Every eligible voter in Hawaii should be able to cast consequential votes in Tuesday’s general election, even though many ballots lack competitive races for topmost offices.
On Maui, there’s a tough match for mayor while all nine County Council seats are in play.
On Kauai, the mayor’s race likely will be a blowout win for incumbent Derek Kawakami, but voters get to make seven selections to represent them on the County Council.
For Oahu voters, four of the nine nonpartisan City Council positions representing more than half the island are on the ballot, while at least a few legislative district contests could be close, giving many Honolulu voters good sway in determining the outcome of one or two races.
But even for voters living outside these districts, four proposed City Charter amendments on the ballot are worth deciding, including ones to increase funding for affordable housing and conservation land management.
Hawaii island, like Oahu, has no race for mayor and little expected competition for legislative races. There’s also only one County Council district seat on the ballot. Still, three proposed charter amendments will be decided, including one to allow the county auditor to investigate allegations of county government fraud.
Statewide, eight candidates are competing for four Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee seats, though some non-Hawaiian residents opt not to vote for OHA trustees as part of historical practice or respect to let Native Hawaiians pick leaders of the agency established to benefit them.
Colin Moore, director of the University of Hawaii Public Policy Center, said voter enthusiasm gets sapped when up-ballot contests — including races for governor, legislative seats and federal office — have reasonably certain outcomes. Yet he said bigger stakes exist with county-level ballot choices.
County council members, Moore said, typically affect the lives of residents more so than a governor, state lawmaker or representative in Congress.
“These council races directly affect how we live our lives,” he said. “Those individuals have a lot of power. That really matters.”
Moore said charter amendments are important too, though some can be difficult for the average voter to understand.
“All of this stuff is consequential,” he said.
Tight council races
Competitive City Council races on Oahu include one to represent residents in a vast area that includes Royal Kunia and Wahiawa in Central Oahu, the North Shore and Kahuku to Kahaluu. Candidates Makuakai Rothman, a big-wave surfer, and Matt Weyer, a city planner, are vying for this seat after a close match in the primary election.
In the Council district running from Pearl City through Mililani, former City Council member Ron Menor and state Rep. Val Okimoto are on the ballot after a nearly even showing in the August primary.
Primary election results for the City Council seat representing Downtown Honolulu through Nuuanu and Kalihi Valley showed a significant preference for Tyler Dos Santos-Tam over Traci Toguchi, though almost 40% of votes went to other candidates cut from Tuesday’s contest.
In the district stretching from Waikiki to Hawaii Kai, current Council Chair Tommy Waters is expected to beat contender Kaleo Nakoa. They did not square off in the primary election because no more than two candidates entered the race.
In Maui County, even though the nine Council seats require residency in different districts, members are elected in a countywide vote. Two close primary election contests produced finalists for the general election: incumbent Tasha Kama versus businessman Buddy Nobriga to represent Kahului, and Tom Cook versus Robin Knox for the open South Maui seat.
Five Maui County Council races skipped the primary election and will be decided by voters on Tuesday. These contests feature Claire Carroll against incumbent Shane Sinenci in East Maui; Justin Herrmann against incumbent Tamara Paltin in West Maui; Noelani Ahia against incumbent Alice Lee in the Wailuku-Waihee-Waikapu district; and John Pele against incumbent Keani Rawlins-Fernandez for the Molokai seat.
The contest for a seat representing the island of Lanai has been particularly contentious, and features former Council member Riki Hokama against incumbent Gabe Johnson. The two politicians faced each other in 2016 and 2018 with close outcomes, and there were unsuccessful efforts this year to disqualify Hokama from the race based on claims he doesn’t reside on Lanai.
Two races that aren’t likely to be close, based on primary election results, have Nara Boone against front-runner Nohe Uu-Hodgins to represent Makawao-Haiku-Paia, and Jordan Hocker against popular incumbent Yuki Lei Sugimura to represent Upcountry Maui.
On Kauai, 14 candidates are vying for all seven County Council seats after voters trimmed the field from 19 candidates in the primary election.
Hawaii island’s lone Council race features Jennifer Kagiwada against Matthias Kusch in a district that includes downtown Hilo.
Lawmaker face-offs
In the state Legislature, where candidates from different political parties are facing off in Tuesday’s general election, local political pundits see only a few potentially close races on Oahu.
One such match involves incumbent Rep. Sharon Har, a Democrat, being challenged by Republican Diamond Garcia for the House District 42 seat covering parts of Kapolei and Ewa neighborhoods. Har was arrested last year on suspicion of drunken driving and won an acquittal in January on procedural grounds. Garcia is chief of staff to Rep. Gene Ward (R, Hawaii Kai-Kalama Valley).
In neighboring House District 41, which includes part of Ewa Beach, a similar situation exists with incumbent Rep. Matt LoPresti, who was arrested in June on suspicion of drunken driving. LoPresti, a Democrat, got his case dismissed in court Sept. 2 on grounds that police had no probable cause to arrest him and administer a blood test, which showed legal impairment from alcohol.
The Republican challenging LoPresti is business owner David Alcos.
In yet another another neighboring area, House District 40, covering parts of Ewa Beach, Republican candidate Janie Gueso, a substitute teacher who also helps run her family’s 76-year-old grocery and liquor retail business, Silva Store, faces Democratic candidate Rose Martinez, a former teacher and legislative aide.
Reapportionment of districts this year also could produce some potentially competitive races.
One of these is a new Leeward Oahu House district covering Maili, Nanakuli and Honokai Hale, where Darius Kila, a Democrat, is competing against Republican Kimberly Kopetseg. Another is a dramatically expanded Senate district stretching from Mokuleia into part of Kaneohe, where incumbent Sen. Gil Riviere, a Democrat, faces Republican challenger Brenton Awa, a former TV news reporter.
High-profile choices
Perhaps the highest-profile tight contest is for Maui County mayor, with incumbent Michael Victorino facing a stiff challenge from Richard Bissen, a retired Circuit Court judge and former prosecuting attorney on Maui.
Races for Hawaii governor and federal office between candidates of different political parties aren’t expected to be very close given the dominance in recent decades by Democrats for such office.
For governor, Lt. Gov. Josh Green, the Democrat, faces Republican former two-term Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona, who unsuccessfully tried twice before to land the state’s top job.
Three congressional contests are on ballots, and all are expected to be dominated by Democrats.
For a U.S. House seat representing suburban Oahu and the neighbor islands, Democratic former state Sen. Jill Tokuda is expected to dominate her Republican opponent, businessman and former Air Force intelligence analyst Joe Akana. Michelle Tippens, a Libertarian, also is in the race.
For Hawaii’s U.S. House seat representing urban Oahu, incumbent Rep. Ed Case, a Democrat, faces Republican Conrad Kress, a retired Navy SEAL.
In the one U.S. Senate seat on the ballot for Hawaii, the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Brian Schatz, is being challenged by candidates from four other parties, including state Rep. Bob McDermott, a Republican.
Charter decisions
Beyond picking candidates for office, voters on every island are being asked to amend county charters to allow county governments to do new things.
There are 24 proposed amendments in all.
Maui has the most at 13, including one that would allow creation of a Native Hawaiian cultural resources department, and one to allow some county employees to work remotely or on alternative schedules.
On Oahu, four proposed charter amendments include one that would double the amount of property tax revenue going to produce affordable housing to 1% from 0.5%.
Four proposed amendments for Kauai include one that would allow the county Salary Commission, instead of the County Council, to determine maximum pay for elected and appointed county officials.
Hawaii island’s three proposed amendments include one that would establish a Youth Commission with nine to 15 members between the ages of 14 and 24 to advise county officials on legislative and budgetary matters, among other things.
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Vote
Voters must cast their general election ballots no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday, Election Day. It’s too late to mail in ballots but voters can drop them off from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at voter service centers at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale, where same-day registration and in-person voting also is available, or at designated dropboxes. For a complete list of sites and instructions, visit elections.hawaii.gov.
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