East Hawaii News

Election season is here: All but two 2024 Hawaiʻi County primary races feature multiple candidates

By Nathan Christophel
 June 16, 2024, 1:00 AM HST
* Updated June 17, 12:45 PM
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If you haven’t seen all the campaign signs hanging on fences at several intersections in Hilo, posted in yards from Waimea to Pāhala and even sometimes stuck to the sides of vehicles driving around the Big Island, you’ve either been living under a rock or you’re avoiding the obvious.

It’s that time again, folks. It’s election season.

A ballot drop box is pictured at the voter service center in Hilo during the 2022 election season. (Big Island Now file photo)

This year’s primaries should be a raucous affair in Hawaiʻi County. Eight of the 9 County Council seats are up for grabs and all but two races have 2 or more candidates.

The only council seat already claimed before the first vote is cast in August is that of incumbent District 4 Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz, who is the only candidate for her post to file by the deadline to be on the ballot.

Incumbent Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen also already locked up another term as the only person to file to run for his seat in the primaries.

The filing deadline for this year’s Primary Election was 4:30 p.m. June 4.

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The main event this election season, however, is the race for who will be the Big Island’s next top executive.

Will it be incumbent Mitch Roth, the county’s former chief prosecutor who was elected in 2020 to his first mayoral term, amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

Or will it be one of 6 other candidates vying for the job?

Roth’s challengers include Kimo Alameda, Breeani Kobayashi and Jr. Tupa‘i, all of whom officially announced their candidacies at least about 2 months before the official filing deadline.

It won’t be long before we know the outcomes of all of the Big Island primary races.

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Primary Election Day is Aug. 10 in the state. Voters should receive their ballots in the mail by July 23. They should have already received a mailing, asking them to update their information if it changed since the last election.

Candidates who must withdraw from primary races because of ill health have through June 21 to do so.

Hawaiʻi County will provide voter service centers, in Hilo and Kailua-Kona, where voters can return ballots or even vote in-person from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. the day of the election.

The centers will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday beginning July 29 for the primaries, providing voter assistance, additional information and registration services. Same-day voter registration also will be available.

Ballot drop boxes, at 10 locations around the island, open July 19.

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All ballots must be received no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you mail your ballot back, be sure to send it several days in advance so the Hawaiʻi County Office of the County Clerk Elections Division gets it on time.

The 2024 General Election is Nov. 5. Voters should find their ballots in their mailboxes by Oct. 18.

Candidates who make it through the primaries will have until Sept. 16 to withdraw from the General Election because of ill health, if necessary.

Voter service centers will again be staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. the day of the election for voters to return ballots or make their choices in person. They also will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday beginning Oct. 22.

Ballot drop boxes will open as of Oct. 16 for the General Election, and voters should receive ballots in the mail the week of Oct. 18.

Just like in the Primary Election, all ballots must be received by the county Elections Division no later than 7 p.m. the day of voting.

For other important dates on this year’s election calendar, visit the Elections Division website. For more election resources, click here.

You can even track your ballot with BallotTrax to know when it is mailed, returned and counted.

Here is a list of candidates — with names in alphabetical order and as they will appear on ballots, along with communities of residence and campaign websites/emails, when available — in this year’s primary races in Hawaiʻi County.

Image from the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections Facebook page.

Hawaiʻi County Mayor, nonpartisan; 4-year term

These hopefuls took out papers to run for mayor, but did not return them on time to be placed on the primary ballot, according to the Hawai‘i Office of Elections website as of its last updated candidate report at 5:36 p.m. June 4: Justin Pittullo of Hilo, Ned Rogers of Hilo and Mark Varize of Volcano.

Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney, nonartisan; 4-year term

With no one else in the primary race, incumbent Waltjen will serve another term as the county’s top prosecutor.

Hawaiʻi County Council District 1, nonpartisan; 2-year term

Hawaiʻi County Council District 2, nonpartisan; 2-year term

One District 2 candidate, Jasper Carta, didn’t file in time to be placed on the primary ballot, according to the state.

Hawaiʻi County Council District 3, nonpartisan; 2-year term

Two District 3 hopefuls, Randy Hirayama and Paul Neves, did not file papers in time to be on the primary ballot, according to the state.

Councilwoman Sue Lee Loy of Hilo, who now represents the district, is term-limited after serving eight consecutive years on the council. However, she is running for the Hawai‘i House of Representatives District 2 seat as a Democrat.

That post is now occupied by state Rep. Richard Onishi, also a Democrat, who has represented the district for 10-plus years and will retire this year.

Lee Loy also took out papers to seek the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaiʻi resident trustee position but did not return them by the filing deadline.

Hawaiʻi County Council District 4, nonpartisan; 2-year term

These candidates did not file papers in time to be on the District 4 ballot: Shawn Naone and Zak O’finn Wittenhagen. Therefore, with only one person in the race, Kierkiewicz wins another term.

Hawaiʻi County Council District 5, nonpartisan; 2-year term

One District 5 hopeful, James Kimo Fox, was unable to file papers before the June 4 deadline and will not appear on the primary ballot.

Hawaiʻi County Council District 6, nonpartisan; 2-year term

One District 6 hopeful, Chad Roberson, did not return his papers in time to be on this year’s primary ballot.

Hawaiʻi County Council District 7, nonpartisan; 2-year term

Christopher Lee did not file his papers in time to be considered for the District 7 seat in this year’s primary.

Hawaiʻi County Council District 8, nonpartisan; 2-year term

Hawaiʻi County Council District 9, nonpartisan; 2-year term

One District 9 hopeful, Ryler Hall, didn’t return his papers in time to be placed on the primary ballot.

More 2024 election coverage coming next week: Big Island Now will publish a candidate list June 23 of those seeking state and federal offices this year.

 Nathan Christophel
Nathan Christophel is a full-time reporter with Pacific Media Group. He has more than 25 years of experience in journalism as a reporter, copy editor and page designer. He previously worked at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald in Hilo. Nathan can be reached at nathan@bigislandnow.com
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