2022 Primary Election Ballot Packed With Races

If it’s not obvious by all of the campaign signs that have been popping up along roadways and in front yards, the 2022 election season is very much in full swing.

The filing period for those seeking election in this year’s primaries ended Tuesday, June 7, and candidates had until Wednesday, June 8, to withdraw from their respective races. Hawai‘i’s 2022 primary elections are scheduled for Aug. 13, with the general election on Nov. 8.

On the local level, all nine county council seats are up for election this year. Per the Hawai‘i County Charter, council members serve two-year terms, and each seat is up for election in every election year.

The only council race uncontested on this year’s primary ballot is the District 7 seat. The only candidate to file for that race is incumbent Rebecca Villegas. District 7 encompasses Central Kona, a portion of South Kona and Portion of North Kona.

Two sitting council members also are term limited this year. Aaron Chung, who represents District 2, which encompasses a portion of South Hilo, and Council Chairwoman Maile David, who represents District 6, which consists of South Kona, Kā‘u, the Greater Volcano Area and a portion of North Kona, cannot seek re-election as both have served the maximum four consecutive two-year terms.

That opens the seats up to some fresh faces.

Vying for the District 2 seat in the primary are Maurice Goulding, William Halversen, Jennifer Kagiwada, Matthias Kusch and Timothy Wehrsig. On the primary ballot for the District 6 seat are Colehour Bondera, Henry Cho III, Michelle Galimba and Shane Palacat-Nelsen.

Also of note, Councilman Tim Richards, who represents District 9, which encompasses North and South Kohala, decided to run for the state Senate District 4 seat this year, leaving his position on the council vacant. Those seeking to fill his spot are Jeff Kalani Coakley, Cindy Evans and Chris Tafili.

Richards, a Democrat, will be unopposed in the August primary for the state Senate seat as no other Democrats filed to seek election. He will face off against Republican Nicholas Tancheff in the November general election.

All county council seats are nonpartisan.

In statewide races, the primary fields for governor and lieutenant governor are packed and each includes several people from the Big Island, including incumbent Lt. Gov. Josh Green and incumbent U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele on the Democratic side of the ballot and UFC star BJ Penn vying for the Republican nomination. The governor’s race includes 19 hopefuls.

Hawai‘i Island residents hoping to secure the the lieutenant governor’s position are Daniel Cunningham and Seaula Tupai Jr. They are two in a field of 10 hopefuls.

Because of reapportionment, all 25 state Senate and all 51 state House seats also are up for election this year. This happens every 10 years, per the state Constitution. The Big Island also gained an eighth seat in the state House because of reapportionment.

One race to keep an eye on in the state Legislature is in Senate District 1. Sens. Laura Acasio and Lorraine Inouye and former Mayor Harry Kim’s managing director Wil Okabe will face off in the Democratic primary.

Governors and lieutenant governors serve four-year terms, while state representatives serve two-year terms and state senators serve four-year terms.

Also on the ballot this year are the Hawai‘i Island and two at-large trustee seats for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. These races also are nonpartisan, and those with only two candidates will only appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

At the federal level, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has one Democratic challenger, but the primary field includes a total of 10 hopefuls seeking his position, most from other parties. And the race for the District 2 congressional seat being vacated by Kahele because of his run for governor features nine people vying for the position — six Democrats, two Republicans and one Libertarian.

The deadline to register to vote in this year’s primary election is Aug. 3.

Hawai‘i moved to all-mail balloting in 2019; however, voter service centers again will be open for the primary election. The centers in Hilo and Kona, designed to accommodate voters with disabilities and/or special needs, those who register to vote and vote on the same day and voters who have issues with the ballot delivered in the mail, will be open Aug. 1-13.

“We encourage our voters to vote the ballot that was delivered to them by mail and return that ballot by mail or at a place of deposit, commonly known as drop boxes,” Cori Saiki, the county’s acting elections program administrator, told Big Island Now on Wednesday in an email.

Saiki said more than 80% of those who voted in 2020, an election year that saw record turnout, returned their ballots by mail, while most other voters used the places of deposit to submit their ballots.

“Use of our voter service centers should be reserved for our voters with special needs, for those who register to vote or update their voter registration late in the election season and our voters who have issues with the ballot that was delivered to them by mail,” she said in her email.

For more information about candidates who filed for this year’s election, click here. For more information about term lengths and candidate qualifications, click here.

Here is a list of candidates running in this year’s elections:

Hawai‘i County Council

District 1

• Heather Kimball, incumbent
• Troy Martinez

District 2

• Maurice Goulding
• William Halversen
• Jennifer Kagiwada
• Matthias Kusch
• Timothy Wehrsig

District 3

• Darcy Alameda
• Sue Lee Loy, incumbent

District 4

• Ashley Kierkiewicz, incumbent
• Gregory Lum Ho Jr.

District 5

• Desmon Haumea
• Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder, incumbent

District 6

• Colehour Bondera
• Henry Cho III
• Michelle Galimba
• Shane Palacat-Nelsen

District 7

• Rebecca Villegas, incumbent

District 8

• Lee-Ann Heely
• Holeka Goro Inaba, incumbent

District 9

• Jeff Coakley
• Cindy Evans
• Chr Toafili

Hawai‘i Island state Senate seats

District 1

Democrats

• Laura Acasio, incumbent
• Lorraine Inouye
• Wil Okabe

Republican

• Helen Tupai

District 2

Democrat

• Joy San Buenaventura, incumbent

Republicans

• Dianne Hensley
• Holly Osborn

Libertarian

• Frederick Fogel

District 3

Democrat

• Dru Kanuha, incumbent

District 4

Democrat

• Tim Richard (current Hawai‘i County Council District 9 representative)

Republican

• Nicholas Tancheff

Hawai‘i Island state House seats

District 1

Democrat

• Mark Nakashima, incumbent

District 2

Democrat

• Richard Onishi, incumbent

District 3

Democrats

• Shannon Matson
• Chris Todd, incumbent

Aloha Aina Party

• Devinshaw McMackin Sr.

District 4

Democrat

• Greggor Ilagan, incumbent

Republican

• Keikilani Ho

Libertarian

• Candace Linton

Nonpartisan

• Brian Ley

District 5

Democrat

• Jeanne Kapela, incumbent

Republican

• Lohi Goodwin

Libertarian

• Michael Last

District 6

Democrats

• Ilya Barannikov
• Kirstin Kahaloa
• Lono Mack

Republican

• Jonathan Kennealy

District 7

Democrat

• Nicole Lowen, incumbent

District 8

Democrats

• Makai Freitas
• David Tarnas, incumbent

Republican

• Monique CobbAdams Perreira

Governor

Democrats

• David Bourgoin
• Vicky Cayetano
• Josh Green (current lieutenant governor)
• Kai Kahele (current District 2 U.S. congressman)
• Richard Kim
• Clyde McClain
• Van Tanabe

Republicans

• Duke Aiona
• Gary Cordery
• George Hawat
• Keline Kahau
• Lynn Mariano
• Paul Morgan
• Moses Paskowitz
• BJ Penn
• Heidi Tsuneyoshi
• Walter Woods

Nonpartisans

• Caleb Nazara
• Keleionalani Taylor

Lieutenant Governor

Democrats

• Keith Amemiya
• Ikaika Anderson
• Daniel Cunningham
• Sylvia Luke
• Sherry Menor-McNamara
• Sam Puletasi

Republicans

• Rob Burns
• Tae Kim
• Seaula Tupai Jr.

Nonpartisan

• Charles Keoho

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawai‘i Island trustee

• Hope Cermelj
• Mililani Trask, incumbent

Office of Hawaiian Affairs at-large trustee (two seats)

• Lei Ahu Isa, incumbent
• Z. Kaapana Aki
• Julian Ako
• Brickwood Galuteria
• U‘i Kahue-Cabanting
• Sam King
• Kealii Makekau
• Chad Owens
• William Paik
• Keoni Souza
• John Waihee IV, incumbent

U.S. Senator

Democrats

• Brian Schatz, incumbent
• Steve Tataii

Republicans

• Steven Bond
• Wallyn Christian
• Asia Lavonne
• Bob McDermott

Libertarian

• Feena Bonoan

Green Party

• Emma Jane Pohlman

Aloha Aina Party

• Dan Decker

U.S. Congressional District 2

Democrats

• Patrick Branco
• Nicole Gi
• Brendan Schultz
• Steven Sparks
• Jill Tokuda
• Kyle Yoshida

Republican

• Joe Akana
• Joseph Webster

Libertarian

• Michelle Tippens