Older voters remain the dominant force in Hawaiʻi elections, and that is shaping who holds power in the state, including on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board.

• Hawaiʻi voters 65 and older cast about 65% of all ballots, far outweighing voters under 30.
• That gives older voters, or kupuna, outsized sway over which candidates win and lose statewide.
• Despite easy mail-in voting, overall turnout in Hawaiʻi stays low, so the kupuna share of the vote matters even more.
• A newly reelected Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee is pushing to grow a land-revenue fund tied to ceded lands, aiming to build it into a long-term income source for Native Hawaiian programs.

Outlook: Expect continued efforts to engage younger voters, but kupuna are likely to keep deciding Hawaiʻi elections for the foreseeable future.