Hawaii County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

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 · Full recovery for Puna eight years after the 2018 Kilauea eruption · Tap grant funding for infrastructure (per the Big Island Now)

  Full profile →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 · Infrastructure and first-responder access · Traffic and sustainability for lower Puna (per the Big Island Now)

  Full profile →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▾

  Matson is a business owner and community leader who has been active in the Hilo and Puna areas for more than 15 years, per the campaign site. A University of Hawaii at Hilo graduate born in Honokaa and raised on Hawaii Island, Matson is running for Hawaii County Council District 5, per the campaign site.

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

  Full profile →Campaign site →
• 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 · Recreation opportunities for keiki and kupuna in Upper Puna · Addressing the high cost of living (per the Big Island Now)

  Full profile →Campaign site →

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▾

  Enriques is a volleyball coach and camp owner who previously served as a Hawaii County lifeguard and completed one term on the Hawaii County Council, per the campaign site. A lifelong resident of Punaluu whose family has run a lei stand there since the 1950s, Enriques attended Kaʻū High School and played basketball at the University of Hawaii at Hilo on an athletic scholarship, per the campaign site.

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

  Full profile →Campaign site →
• Zed Kaapana Aki▾

  Aki holds a law degree and is a lifelong resident of Kaʻū and South Kona running for Hawaii County Council District 6, per the campaign site.

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

  Full profile →Campaign site →