A Hawaiʻi First Circuit Court judge ruled in late July that Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters was ineligible to run for another term.
The ruling came after many voters had already mailed in their ballots. Waters has since appealed the decision, but it remains unclear if the court will reverse course.
HPR took to the streets of District 4 — which stretches from Waikīkī to Hawaiʻi Kai — to see how voters were feeling in the final days leading up to the primary election.
Some, like Roxanne Rivero, who was running the register at Sugarcane Shop in Kaimukī, are undecided.
“I feel like talking to people, especially when I'm at the boutique, they're not too happy with any of the candidates,” Rivero said.
Others, like Muriel Trotter-Fields, who works as a server near Diamond Head, found the decision unfair to voters.
“I think everybody should have their voice, and the fact that it's changing on kind of like a technicality, it's a little troubling,” she told HPR.
HPR also spoke with Trevor Ozawa, one of Waters’ opponents in the race, who filed a lawsuit challenging Waters' eligibility for a third term.
Ozawa held the city council seat from 2015-2019. In the 2018 general election, Ozawa tallied 22 more votes than Waters. Waters challenged the vote, which went to the state Supreme Court and forced a special election, which Waters won.
Ozawa spoke about the confusion many voters are feeling
“I can understand why people are confused, and I think that they have a right to be, because they were getting mixed statements,” Ozawa said.
“The people that are confused now … those are the folks who who did their civic duty, that voted early, like we ask people to do, and the system didn't serve them in their opinion. And that's a fair criticism of the process.”
HPR received comments from Tommy Waters, who reaffirmed that his legal team was seeking to appeal the decision.
“To every voter seeking clarity, I hear you and understand your concerns. You deserve clear answers. That's why I promptly appealed the court's ruling, and I'm asking the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court to review the case as quickly as possible. My hope is to provide a clear and final interpretation for this election and for future elections involving partial terms,” he told HPR.
The other candidates running for the District 4 seat include Trevor Ozawa, Tara Malia Gregory and Jason Liang.
This story aired on The Conversation on Aug. 6, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
