YES ON 5
Ranked Choice Voting: For the People, By the People
This November, our community will decide whether we should start using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for local offices starting in 2032.
Once In A Decade Opportunity
Once every 10 years the Honolulu Charter Commission is established to hear community members’s suggestions on how to improve Honolulu. Nearly 300 community suggestions went through a rigorous filtering process.
Before any proposal reaches the November general election ballot, it must survive months of public testimony, legal vetting by the Honolulu Corporation Counsel, and multiple rounds of debate in Charter Commission meetings. Measures that are deemed too polarizing or structurally flawed are voted down by commissioners before the ballot is finalized.
Ranked Choice Voting Holds Up Through Rigorous Local Vetting
Your fellow community members suggested using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for all city elections instead of just for vacancy elections. They spoke in support during public testimony—and the Honolulu Charter Commission supported expanding Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) putting it to voters in the form of Question 5.
About Question 5 and What Would it Do
Question 5 is on the top middle of O’ahu voters’ ballots this fall. It reads as follows:
“Beginning in 2032, should the City use ranked-choice voting to elect the Mayor, City Council, and Prosecuting Attorney, allowing voters to rank candidates in the order they prefer (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) in a single November election?”
Present Situation: City officials are elected through a two-step nonpartisan special election. When three or more candidates run for an office, a first special election is conducted with the state primary in August. If a candidate wins a majority, then they are elected. Otherwise, the top two advance to a second special election held with the state general election in November.
Turnout in August is typically much lower than in November. This means a relatively small group of voters who may not represent the views of the City as a whole decides the options (or the winners) for everyone else. In the 2024 election, all City officials were elected in August.
If Question 5 Passes: Beginning in 2032, ranked-choice voting will be used for the Mayor, City Council, and Prosecuting Attorney, and these offices will be decided in the November election by a larger and more representative electorate.
Voters can rank any number of candidates in the order they prefer (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, etc.). If no candidate receives a majority of first choices, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and those ballots transferred to each voter’s next choice, repeating in rounds until a winner is determined. The City Clerk will also adopt rules and implement a public education program. Read the Proposed Charter Language.
Why vote Yes on 5?
YES on 5 allows more voters to have more choice and more voice, all while saving the city time and money requiring only one ballot.
- More choice and more voice in our elections, instead of picking between the “lesser of two evils”? YES on 5
- More efficient government processes? YES on 5
- More people-powered candidates working for us, instead for wealthy donors and special interests? YES on 5
How Do I Vote YES on 5?
Question 5 is at the top middle of your ballot.
All registered Oʻahu voters should have received a ballot by mail by now. Voted ballots must be received by the County Elections Division by November 3, 7:00pm local time via US Mail or ballot drop box (view drop box locations here).
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