Punahou School welcomed community members to Luke Lecture Hall on Sept. 17 for a public roundtable examining election integrity in Hawaiʻi and the challenges involved in maintaining trust in the electoral process. The event was co-hosted by Honolulu Civil Beat and Punahou’s Davis Democracy Initiative.
Punahou students Lulu Cole ’27 and Riley Joe ’28 opened the evening by welcoming attendees and introducing the event and featured speakers.
Moderated by Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair, the discussion featured Hawaiʻi State Rep. Kim Coco Iwamoto, State Sen. Karl Rhoads, Common Cause Hawaiʻi State Director Camron Hurt and Colin Moore of the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.
Panelists explored what election integrity means in practice, discussing issues ranging from human error, cybersecurity and ballot security to transparency, accessibility and public confidence in election results. The conversation also touched on Hawaiʻi’s vote-by-mail system, voter service centers, election administration and ways to ensure communities across the state have meaningful access to the voting process.
While acknowledging issues that have arisen over time and opportunities to improve the system, panelists found common ground in expressing confidence in the overall integrity of Hawaiʻi’s elections. They also discussed the importance of clear communication and listening to voters’ concerns as ways to strengthen public trust in the electoral process.
The event was presented through the Davis Democracy Initiative, which provides opportunities for students to explore civic engagement, democratic participation, civil discourse and public policy.
