Election night in Hawaiʻi was plagued with long lines for in-person voting across the state. The last person in the state cast their ballot around midnight and the initial results were released soon after.
Here are five takeaways from Hawaiʻi's local elections.
1. Razor-thin margins in state House races
House District 32, which represents ʻAiea, Moanalua and Foster Village, shows Democratic incumbent Micah Aiu has lost his seat to Republican challenger Garner Shimizu by just 76 votes.
In District 45, which covers portions of West Oʻahu, Republican Chris Muraoka defeated Democrat Desire Desoto by 209 votes.
Oʻahu's North Shore District 39 currently shows Republican incumbent Elijah Pierick defeating Democratic challenger Corey Rosenlee by 20 votes.
Although Wednesday night's printout is usually the final result, state election laws require recounts for races when the margin is less than or equal to 100 votes or 0.25% of the total ballots cast for the contest, whichever is lesser.
Because of that rule, House District 39 between Pierick and Rosenlee will have to be recounted. The Office of Elections has five business days from when polls closed to conduct the recount.
2. Hawaiʻi Island will have a new mayor
On Hawaiʻi Island, Mayor Mitch Roth lost to challenger Kimo Alameda by 10 percentage points. Roth conceded, posting on his campaign’s Instagram account Wednesday morning.
“Serving as Mayor for this community has been the honor of a lifetime,” he wrote. “As we transition, we will work hard every day and continue to give Hawaiʻi County the best.”
3. Protection of same-sex marriage
Constitutional Amendment 1, which repealed the state legislature’s ability to limit same-sex marriage, passed. This is despite concerns from proponents of the amendment who thought the wording of the question on the ballot was confusing for voters.
It's viewed as a win to protect LGBTQ+ rights in the state as the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated it is open to relitigating federal protections of same-sex marriage.
4. Flipped seat in the state Senate
A previously Democratic Senate seat on West Oʻahu's District 22 will go to Republican Samantha DeCorte. She received 53% of the vote to Democratic candidate Cedric Gates’s 44%. This seat was held previously by former Democratic Sen. Maile Shimabukuro since 2010.
5. Honolulu councilmembers will no longer vote on their own salaries
Oʻahu voters overwhelmingly approved a city charter amendment that removes the Honolulu City Council’s ability to vote on their own salaries, with 83% of people voting yes. The amendment also caps councilmember salary increases at 5% and ties salary adjustments to the same rate as union contracts for city employees.
This comes after the Honolulu Salary Commission in 2023 recommended a 64% raise to councilmember salaries. Council Chair Tommy Waters refused to let the council vote on a raise in 2023, despite pushback by a few of the other council members.
This page will be updated as we learn more.
