Your ballot
Question 2: The RISE amendment on your ballot
Shall the Hawaii State Constitution be amended to direct the legislature to authorize the counties to issue resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds to fund public improvements in designated districts, repaid solely by future growth in property tax revenues within those districts, not by increasing real property tax rates, where such bonds are excluded from the counties’ debt limit and are subject to accountability and oversight requirements as may be provided by law?
Why it matters
A blank vote counts as a no
This is a constitutional amendment, so the rule is different from a regular election. A “yes” vote has to equal at least 50% of all ballots cast, not just a majority of the people who mark yes or no. If you leave the question blank, it counts against the amendment. In recent Hawaiʻi constitutional amendments, blank votes have run from about 8% to 14% of all ballots cast.
100 ballots cast
Yes beats no by ten, and the amendment still fails.
Illustrative figures. A yes has to reach 50% plus one of every ballot cast in the general election, not a majority of the people who marked the question, so a blank ballot has the same effect on the outcome as a no.
Before you vote
Want to know more before you vote?
See exactly how RISE would work if the amendment passes, and the accountability rules that come with it.
Dates
How and when to vote
Hawaiʻi votes by mail. Ballots are mailed to registered voters starting October 16, and a completed ballot has to be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026. In-person voting and same-day registration are available at Voter Service Centers starting October 20.
However you vote, remember: vote yes on this question, and make sure you mark it. Do not leave it blank.
When it arrives
Three things to do when your ballot arrives
01
Find Question 2
It sits after the candidate races, near the end of the ballot, which is exactly why people miss it.
02
Mark yes
Leaving it blank counts against us.
03
Sign the return envelope
Then mail it back or drop it at a Voter Service Center or drop box. Unsigned envelopes do not get counted.
Shall the Hawaii State Constitution be amended to direct the legislature to authorize the counties to issue resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds…
It is near the end, after every candidate race
That is exactly why people miss it. Keep going past the last contest, and fill in the oval next to yes.
Illustration, not a sample ballot. Wording and layout vary by county, and the contests above are shown only as placeholders.