LĪHUʻE, Kauaʻi — Kauaʻi County Council Chair Mel Rapozo continues to lead the mayoral race following the release of updated preliminary general election results Wednesday morning, Nov. 4.
According to the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections’ third Kauaʻi County summary report, printed at 7:36 a.m., Rapozo received 13,927 votes, or 56.5%, compared with former Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., who received 9,208 votes, or 37.4%.
Rapozo leads Carvalho by 4,719 votes.
County Council standings
The seven leading candidates for Kauaʻi County Council, according to Wednesday’s updated report, are:
- Fern Anuenue Holland — 12,425 votes
- Todd Ozaki — 11,557 votes
- Arryl Kaneshiro — 11,501 votes
- Michelle Kaleiohi Correa — 11,486 votes
- Addison Bulosan — 9,684 votes
- Dane Smith — 9,243 votes
- Paul Noboru Applegate — 8,456 votes
Taylor Shigemoto remains in eighth place with 8,235 votes, trailing Applegate by 221 votes for the seventh and final Council seat.
Ballot amendments
Preliminary results also show Kauaʻi voters favoring all three proposed ballot amendments.
The county’s proposed Charter amendment, which would remove references to the Zoning Board of Appeals and clarify the Planning Commission’s appeals process, received 13,117 yes votes and 7,026 no votes.
The two statewide constitutional amendments also received majority support among Kauaʻi voters:
- Constitutional Amendment 1: Extending the state Senate’s confirmation period for certain judicial appointments received 13,687 yes votes and 7,149 no votes.
- Constitutional Amendment 2: Authorizing Resilient Infrastructure for Shelter and Equity (RISE) bonds to help finance affordable housing infrastructure received 15,455 yes votes and 5,600 no votes.
Statewide results will determine whether the constitutional amendments pass.
Voter turnout
Wednesday’s report shows 24,635 ballots cast among Kauaʻi County’s 49,337 registered voters, representing a turnout of 49.9%.
Of those ballots, 23,150 were cast by mail and 1,485 in person.
Results remain preliminary
The November 3 general election results remain unofficial pending certification.
Westside Ledger will continue monitoring reports from the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections, particularly the closely contested seventh County Council seat, and provide updates as additional results and official certifications become available.
Residents can review the latest Kauaʻi County election summary report directly through the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections.