Hawaii County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Decided at the August 8, 2026 primary under the county charter's outright-majority rule, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official results: Heather Kimball won outright (2,680 votes, 59.9% of candidate votes) and this race will not appear on the November 3 ballot, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.

• Heather KimballIncumbent▾

  Re-elected outright to a fourth and final term. Incumbent District 1 councilmember, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.

Decided at the August 8, 2026 primary under the county charter's outright-majority rule, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official results: Jennifer Kagiwada won outright (2,975 votes, 50.6%) and this race will not appear on the November 3 ballot, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.

• Jennifer KagiwadaIncumbent▾

  Re-elected outright with just over 50% against four challengers. Incumbent District 2 councilmember representing North Hilo and downtown Hilo, per Big Island Now and Civil Beat; the county clerk confirmed the margin did not trigger a recount.

Decided at the August 8, 2026 primary under the county charter's outright-majority rule, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official results: Dennis Onishi won outright (3,427 votes, 63.5%) and this race will not appear on the November 3 ballot, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.

• Dennis OnishiIncumbent▾

  Re-elected outright. Incumbent District 3 (South Hilo) councilmember with over 20 years of county service, per Civil Beat.

Eileen Ohara (1,588 votes) and Lloyd Enriquez (1,149) advance to the November 3, 2026 general election, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official August 8 primary results. Open seat: incumbent Ashley Kierkiewicz is termed out.

• Eileen Ohara▾

  Former one-term Hawaii County councilmember (elected 2016) and head of the nonprofit Malama O Puna, with a career spanning legislative work, nonprofit grant writing and public policy teaching, per Big Island Now's candidate profile.

  Priorities: Act on Highway 130 traffic and an alternate route, per Big Island Now · Full recovery for Puna eight years after the 2018 Kilauea eruption, per Big Island Now · Tap grant funding for infrastructure, per Big Island Now

  Campaign site →
• Lloyd Enriquez▾

  Retired school safety officer of 33 years, raised in Pahoa, who serves on the Hawaii County Police Commission, per Big Island Now's candidate profile.

  Priorities: Property tax reform: reduce taxes for local people and raise them for nonresidents, per Big Island Now · Infrastructure and first-responder access, per Big Island Now · Traffic and sustainability for lower Puna, per Big Island Now

  Campaign site →

Shannon Matson (981 votes) and Ikaika Rodenhurst (951) advance to the November 3, 2026 general election, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official August 8 primary results. Open seat: incumbent Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder is termed out; the county clerk confirmed the close second-third margin did not trigger a recount.

• Shannon Matson▾

  Council aide to Councilmember Jenn Kagiwada for the past three years and founder and former owner of Hot Yoga Hilo; born and raised on Hawaii Island and a 15-year Hilo and Puna community leader, per Big Island Now's candidate profile.

  Priorities: Reduce regressive taxes on low and middle-income households, per Big Island Now · Short-term traffic relief on Highways 11 and 130, per Big Island Now · Community-driven policymaking, per Big Island Now

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• Ikaika Rodenhurst▾

  Civil engineer and construction consultant on county and state highway projects who led the county Department of Public Works for two years starting in 2020, after working with the DOT during the 2018 Kilauea eruption; coaches football at Keaau High School, per Big Island Now and Civil Beat.

  Priorities: Road and infrastructure improvements for Highway 11 traffic, per Big Island Now · Recreation opportunities for keiki and kupuna in Upper Puna, per Big Island Now · Addressing the high cost of living, per Big Island Now

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Guy Enriques (1,362 votes) and Zed Kaapana Aki (1,023) advance to the November 3, 2026 general election, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official August 8 primary results. Open seat: incumbent Michelle Galimba did not seek re-election.

• Guy Enriques▾

  Volleyball coach, commercial fisherman and former one-term councilmember born and raised in Punaluu, whose family has run a lei stand near Punaluu Black Sand Beach since the 1950s; he has led opposition to the proposed Black Sand Beach LLC redevelopment, per Big Island Now.

  Priorities: Protect Punaluu, including county purchase of the black sand beach land, per Big Island Now · A full-service police station for Ocean View, per Big Island Now · Deliver visible results via a public project list built from residents' input, per Big Island Now

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• Zed Kaapana Aki▾

  Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, business consultant and public policy advocate of more than two decades with generational roots in Kau, who farms an ulu orchard in Ocean View, per Big Island Now; his campaign site notes a J.D. and union endorsements.

  Priorities: Pursue funding for a medical training hub to bring health care workers to Kau, per Big Island Now · A police substation for Ocean View, per Big Island Now · Preserve the district's country character with low-impact development, per Big Island Now

  Campaign site →

Decided at the August 8, 2026 primary under the county charter's outright-majority rule, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official results: Manu Powers won the open North Kona seat outright (2,659 votes); this race will not appear on the November 3 ballot, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.

• Manu Powers▾

  Elected outright at the August 8 primary. Longtime Kona small business owner and community organizer, raised in Kalapana, who ran a grassroots campaign declining union, corporate and PAC donations, per Civil Beat.

Decided at the August 8, 2026 primary under the county charter's outright-majority rule, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official results: Holeka Goro Inaba won outright (2,656 votes, unopposed) and this race will not appear on the November 3 ballot, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.

• Holeka Goro InabaIncumbent▾

  Re-elected unopposed. Incumbent and current council chair, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.

Decided at the August 8, 2026 primary under the county charter's outright-majority rule, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official results: James Hustace won outright (3,755 votes, unopposed) and this race will not appear on the November 3 ballot, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.

• James HustaceIncumbent▾

  Re-elected unopposed. Incumbent District 9 councilmember, per Civil Beat and Big Island Now.