The mayoral challenger says he wants to explore other options before considering whether to extend the tax that goes to pay for rail.

“We need to retain and support existing businesses that employ our island residents. Employment opportunities are very limited.”

“If every eligible voter in Hawaii were to vote, I believe the domination of the Democratic Party would disappear.”

Civil Beat’s guide to the 2016 federal, state and local elections will help you understand and navigate the voting process.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association did well backing Democratic incumbents, but got mixed results in other races.

The parties have their rules and the right to challenge candidates, but the threshold to run as a Democrat or Republican is pretty low.

“You have to make alliances across ethnicities, and that is wonderful,” says retired UH history professor Dan Boylan.

UPDATED: The Republican running for the 2nd Congressional District has filed to run as a Democrat in the special election to fill the 1st District seat.

They will be on the November ballot for the right to fill out the remainder of the late Mark Takai’s congressional term.

Need to figure out who to vote for on Nov. 8? Click on the links in this story to see how candidates in your area feel about certain issues.