2026 General Election Amendments

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Hawaii County
https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/09/hawaii...ll-decide/

State Amendments
https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/10/senate...-vote-yes/

https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/09/should...ll-decide/

[kalianna]

Thanks. Iʻm still not sure about these. Anyone have any manaʻo?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

My first thought was, do we need 2 auditors?
But unless I’ve read the explanation for the requested change wrong, the auditor finds waste, and saves taxpayers money.  If an auditor quits and the position remains empty for an extended period of time there is no oversight.  The deputy would step into the role immediately.
So two auditors cost money, but likely will save money in the long run.

[ironyak]

Just a quick note I found interesting (thanks for all the links in these threads Edge!) - it sounds like they're just converting one of the current 5 positions into a Deputy Auditor position, so wouldn't be entirely new headcount and compensation package.

https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/09/hawaii...ll-decide/
"A deputy auditor would be a new role for the office. Currently, the office of the auditor has the budget for five positions for fiscal year 2027. If the amendment passes, the office would reclassify one of those positions for the deputy auditor, McAdams said. That position would likely be the vacant administrative services assistant position, she added."

Anyone have thoughts on the state constitutional amendment for the RISE bonds? Jump starting affordable housing along the rail line (which was said would happen organically due to the demand to live close to the easy commuting option) or burdening tax payers if the gamble doesn't pay off and they can't extract the revenue from the district that receives these infrastructure improvements? Both? Other?

With ~$4 billion in rail extensions back on the menu, it does raise the question as to how much debt is too much and how the cost / benefits shake out, although moving away from car-centric infrastructure through a blend of mix-used zoning (live closer to work), and alternative transportation like bus and rail do have long-term benefits.