Honolulu Judge Rules Council Chair Waters Ineligible as Ballots List His Name

A First Circuit Court judge ruled Monday, July 27, that Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters is ineligible to seek another term representing District 4. The ruling came less than two weeks before Hawaii’s August 8 primary, and ballots bearing Waters’ name had already been sent to voters, according to Hawai‘i Public Radio.

The decision does not by itself settle how the District 4 contest will be handled. Waters could appeal, and election officials could issue further guidance. Available reporting had not confirmed whether ballots would be changed, replaced or treated differently.

The dispute centers on Honolulu’s term limit

The Hawaii Office of Elections describes Honolulu council members as serving four-year terms, with a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms. The office lists Waters as the incumbent in District IV and shows the seat as scheduled for election in 2026.

The legal question was whether Waters’ April 2019 special election counted as one of those two terms. The 2018 election for the seat was invalidated after a court challenge, and a special election was held on April 13, 2019. Waters won that contest.

Waters argued that the special election produced a shortened first period of service and therefore should not count as a full term. Trevor Ozawa challenged that interpretation, arguing that Waters was elected to the regular four-year term even though he took office later than usual because of the earlier election dispute.

Honolulu Civil Beat reported before Monday’s ruling that the city charter language was ambiguous and that the competing sides disagreed over whether the timing of Waters’ service changed how the term limit applied. The First Circuit judge ruled that Waters had already won the two elections that count toward the limit.

What District 4 voters should watch

Hawaii’s primary election is Saturday, August 8, 2026. The Office of Elections says ballots must be received by the county elections division by 7 p.m. that day. The state’s 2026 election proclamation establishes a nonpartisan primary election for four Honolulu City Council seats, while the Office of Elections councilmember page identifies District IV as one of the seats scheduled for election.

For now, the practical question is whether the court ruling remains in effect and what instructions election officials issue for voters who already received ballots listing Waters. The ruling is from a trial court and is not necessarily the final appellate outcome.

District 4 voters should rely on updates from the Hawaii Office of Elections and the City and County of Honolulu for any confirmed changes to the contest or ballot-handling procedures. Until officials provide new instructions, the available reporting does not establish that ballots have been corrected, voided or reissued.

Sources

• Hawai‘i Public Radio: Waters ruled ineligible to run for Honolulu City Council seat
• Hawaii Office of Elections: Councilmembers