It’s Election Day.

By the end of the day, Hawai‘i Island residents will have decided the remaining three open County Council seats, a U.S. representative, two state constitutional amendments, one charter amendment, an at-large trustee for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and several state officials: governor, lieutenant governor, five state representatives and one state senator.

As of Monday, 46,760 ballots (41%) have been returned out of the 113,978 ballots issued to Hawaiʻi Island registered voters.

For the County Council, six of the nine races already were decided in the Aug. 8 primary election. No matter who wins today, there will be four new people on the council, with council members Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder, Ashley Kierkiewicz and Rebecca Villegas all terming out of office and Council Member Michelle Galimba deciding not to run for reelection.

Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda thanked all four of them for their service, but added: “It’s always good to get new energy. It is exciting to see fresh faces getting involved in local government.”

All ballots must be received by 7 p.m. today. If you have not voted already, do not mail your ballot. It’s too late. It will not be counted.

But ballots can be dropped off at any of the 10 ballot boxes set up island-wide.

For those who want to cast their vote in person, Voter Service Centers are open in Hilo and Kailua-Kona from 7 a.m. until the polls close at 7 p.m. If you’re not registered to vote, you can register at the Voter Service Center. Make sure to bring proper documentation that you are eligible to vote in the county.

In Hilo, the Voter Service Center is located in the conference room at the Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi St., Suite 1.

In Kona, the center is set up at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center’s Building G, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway.

Track your ballot with BallotTrax to know when it is mailed, returned and counted.

Ballot box locations:

• Laupahoehoe Police Station: Puʻualaea Homestead Rd., Laupahoehoe
• Hawai‘i County Building: 25 Aupuni St., Hilo
• Kea‘au Police Station: 16-579 Old Volcano Rd., Kea‘au
• Pāhoa Police Station: 15-2615 Keaʻau-Pāhoa Rd., Pāhoa
• Nā‘ālehu Police Station: 95-5355 Māmalahoa Highway, Nā‘ālehu
• Rodney Yano Memorial Hall: 82-6156 Māmalahoa Highway, Captain Cook
• West Hawaiʻi Civic Center: 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona
• Waikōloa Village Association: 68-1792 Melia St., Waikōloa Village
• Waimea Police Station: 67-5185 Kamamalu St., Kamuela
• North Kohala Police Station: 54-3900 Akoni Pule Highway, Kapaʻau

Who is running in Hawaiʻi County?

Hawaiʻi County Council:

During the primary election in August, Hawai‘i County Council incumbents Heather Kimball (District 1), Jennifer “Jenn” Kagiwada (District 2) and Dennis “Fresh” Onishi (District 3) won their contests over their challengers. Newcomer Manu Powers won the District 7 seat, and Holeka Inaba (District 8) and James Hustace (District 9) ran unopposed and also will return to the council.

So that leaves three seats on the council left to be decided in the general election on Nov. 3.

• District 4: Eileen O‘Hara vs. Lloyd Enriquez
• District 5: Shannon Matson vs. Ikaika Rodenhurst
• District 6: Guy Enriques vs. Zed Ka‘apana Aki

Alameda said the council serves as a check and balance to his administration.

“I think we’ve had a good relationship with the council in my two years, and for the most part, we’re on the same page,” he said. “I’m excited to work with people who want to help.”

State races:

Governor: Incumbent Josh Green (D) versus Gary Cordery (R).

Lieutenant Governor: Derek Kawakami (D) versus Daniel Anthony (R).

State Senate: Hawai‘i Island has just one Senate race (District 2) this election. Incumbent Joy Buenaventura (D) versus Fred Fogel (R).

State House of Representatives: Matthias Kusch (District 1), Kirstin Kahaloa (District 6) and Nicole E. Lowen (District 7) all ran unopposed and were elected in the primary. That leaves five Hawaiʻi Island House races.

• District 2: Incumbent Sue Lee Loy (D) vs. Jonathan Kennealy (R)
• District 3: Incumbent Chris Todd (D) vs. Austin Martin (Libertarian)
• District 4: Incumbent Greggor Ilagan (D) vs. Zak Wittenhagen (R)
• District 5: Incumbent Jeanné Kapela (D) vs. Dalene McCormick (R)
• District 8: Incumbent David Tarnas (D) vs. Monique Perreira (R)

Office of Hawaiian Affairs

Voters are instructed to vote for “not more than three” At-Large Trustees:

• Adrian “Keali‘i” Akina
• Ikaika Anderson
• Kanekoa “Koa” Crabbe
• Brickwood M. Galuteria
• Keoni Souza
• John Waihe‘e IV

View the digital voter guide to read statements from candidates and explanations about proposed amendments to the Hawai‘i Constitution and county charters. Put in your address. Then click on candidates or amendments to read more.

To see campaign spending reports of candidates, click here.

U.S. Representative (District 2)

The only national race on the ballot for Hawaiʻi County voters is U.S. Representative for District 2 (which includes rural Oʻahu and the Neighbor Islands).

District 2: Jill Tokuda (D) vs. Brenton Awa (R)

State Proposed Amendments to the Hawai‘i State Constitution

There are two amendments:

Question #1: Increasing the Timeframe for the Hawaii Senate to Consider and Act on Judicial Appointments.

Question #2: Directing the Hawaii State Legislature to Establish Procedures for Counties to Issue RISE Bonds, Exempt from County Debt Limits.

For the full text of these proposed amendments, to elections.hawaii.gov or call 808-453-8683.

2026 Proposed Amendments to the Hawai‘i County Charter

There is one amendment:

Hawaiʻi: County Auditor’s Power to Employ

Shall the Hawaiʻi County Charter be amended to allow the County Auditor to hire a deputy and exercise the same power, with respect to the employees within the Auditor’s office, as the department heads in the executive branch?

If you agree with Proposal No. 1, vote yes.

If you disagree with Proposal No. 1, vote no.

For the full text of this proposed amendment, go to www.hawaiicounty.gov/charteramendments or call 808-961-8255.