Hawaii voters head to the polls: What to expect on state's key issues, candidates
Hawaii voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballot in the presidential election after a closely fought contest between Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, and Republican former President Donald Trump. Also in the mix are several down-ballot races and a ballot measure that would remove limitations in the state constitution on same-sex marriage.
Democrats have historically dominated the Aloha State, electing only two Republican governors and three GOP representatives in its 65-year-old history. That trend is expected to hold steady.
In Hawaii’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono is seeking a third term, facing Republican Bob McDermott and two third-party challengers. Democratic Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda are also defending their seats in Hawaii’s two congressional districts, covering urban and suburban Honolulu and neighboring islands. All three incumbents are expected to win by comfortable margins.
Some local races, however, are grabbing attention. The Hawaii Island mayoral race between incumbent Mitch Roth and Kimo Alameda is expected to be close. Roth, a former county prosecutor, has the support of private-sector unions, while Alameda, a former health center executive, is backed by public-sector unions. Key issues in this race include affordable housing, homelessness, and infrastructure improvements.
The race for seats on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Board of Trustees is also significant. Six candidates are vying for three seats on the board, which directs resources to Native Hawaiian communities, impacting areas like education, business support, and community programs.
Hawaii’s state Legislature is also set for a shakeup, with at least 11 new members expected due to retirements and primary upsets. One major upset came when longtime House Speaker Scott Saiki lost to progressive Kim Coco Iwamoto, potentially signaling an ideological shift in Hawaii’s Democratic Party.
Voters will also weigh in on two proposed state constitutional amendments. One would remove the legislature’s power to restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples, and the other seeks to align judicial appointment processes for district court judges with higher courts for consistency.
Officials eye improved voter turnout
In recent years, Hawaii has struggled with low voter turnout, hitting a record low in August. Just 32.1% of registered voters statewide — 269,912 out of 839,618 — participated in the primary election, marking the lowest turnout since Hawaii gained statehood in 1959.
However, turnout for the Nov. 5 general election is set to top the numbers from Aug. 10. In late October, county clerks had already received 226,646 ballots across the four counties.
Rex Quidilla, who serves as election administrator for the City and County of Honolulu, told Paste BN that he believes that excitement from the presidential race will attract more voters up and down the ballot.
“Well, you know, it’s encouraging in the sense that we’re doing much better than we did in the primary. We set a record for the lowest participation in the primary (in state history),” I’m not going too far out on a limb by saying that we always expect the generals to do much better than the primaries.”
Quidilla noted that officials will not begin counting ballots until after voter service centers close around 7 p.m. local time. He expects that results will come in around 11 p.m. HST.
Voters weigh in
Echoing Quidilla’s sentiment, early voters at Kaneohe District Park on Oahu expressed enthusiasm for the general election.
Jeremy Jatas, a 40-year-old business owner from Windward Oahu, said he was motivated to vote for Donald Trump, though he expressed less interest in other races. He identified the economy as a priority.
“Being an older adult with a family, you know, my views on things are a lot different now,” Jatas said. “I feel like voting can make a difference, especially with my kids’ future. I’m not thinking about myself anymore.”
Minerva Cordeiro, 60, also from Windward Oahu and working in construction, declined to specify her chosen candidate but highlighted immigration as her main concern.
“I think we have an obligation to our country, to do our part. This only happens four years at a time,” Cordeiro said. “I’m an immigrant (from the Philippines). I swear that’s why I became a citizen, because I wanted to vote, and I wanted to be thankful.”
Georgi Decosta, a 49-year-old small business owner from Kaneohe, shared that she’s voting for Kamala Harris, citing the preservation of democracy as a vital issue.
“I don’t think (Donald Trump) has any guidelines and rules, so I just worry about if he would get in, if he would ever leave office at this point,” Decosta said. “(I’m worried about) him following the rule of law, and the peaceful transition of power which we saw did not happen last time.”
Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the Paste BN Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow