Hawaii Supreme Court orders new election for House District 43

Sep 05, 2026

Hawaii's highest court has thrown out the result of a tied Republican primary and ordered a fresh vote, a win for the incumbent who challenged it and for voters in the district.

  • The Republican primary in House District 43 ended in an exact tie between incumbent Kanani Souza and challenger Sheila Medeiros.
  • Medeiros was declared the winner by random drawing, which prompted Souza to go to court.
  • The challenge centered on ballots that were handed to the wrong voters.
  • The new vote will happen alongside the general election on November 3rd and will be open to voters of all parties, not just Republicans.
  • The mix-up has dented trust in how the election was run, though the court moved fast to fix it.

Outlook: District 43 voters get a do-over in November, with the seat now decided by the wider electorate rather than a coin-flip.

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