What are these questions on the back of my Ballot?


Honolulu City + County

On one side of the ballot you’ll find the different candidates running for office and on the other side you’ll find 4 questions.  Although, there have been numerous debates, advertising and social media posts to inform us about the candidates in this election, there has been little discussion about the four questions to amend the Charter of Honolulu. 

Maui County

Voters in Maui County will decide on significant changes to the structure of government and other issues when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 general election.  Seven charter amendment questions appear on the Maui County ballots. They include proposals to increase the flow of money to an affordable housing fund, restructure the managing director’s position, create a Department of Agriculture, set term limits and settle legal disputes over county laws.

Kauaʻi County

County of Kauaʻi voters come Nov. 3 will choose among six obscure amendments to the Kauai County Charter.  Three of them are arguably housekeeping measures that clean up or make minor repairs to language already in the charter. The three others are more important because they rectify defects in how the county chooses high-level managers for critical agencies.  But none of those three changes is dramatic or would make much operational difference to the affected police and water departments or the county engineer’s office. No organized process attempts to educate voters on these measures, and none is dramatic enough to have spawned any organized advocacy or opposition.