Hawaii held its general election on November 6, 2012, deciding 76 legislative seats. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Democrats kept near-total control of the legislature, gaining a net House seat to lead 44-7, while Sam Slom (R) remained the lone Republican in a 24-1 Senate.
- The real contest for the House came after the votes were counted. Rep. Joe Souki (D), backed by a bloc of dissident Democrats, cut a deal with the seven House Republicans to reach the 26 votes needed to replace Speaker Calvin Say (D). In exchange, he promised the GOP three vice chair posts. Souki was elected speaker in January 2013, over objections from members aligned with Say. The Senate changed leaders too: after Senate President Shan Tsutsui (D) became lieutenant governor, senators chose Donna Mercado Kim (D) as Senate president in December.
- In all, 3 House seats changed party, each by unseating an incumbent:
- Kaniela Ing (D) beat George Fontaine (R) by about 27 points in House District 11.
- Takashi Ohno (D) beat Corinne Ching (R) by about 15 points in House District 27.
- Beth Fukumoto (R) unseated Marilyn Lee (D), who had represented the old District 38, by about 500 votes in House District 36.
- Both constitutional amendments failed even though each drew more yes votes than no votes. Hawaii requires a majority of all ballots cast, so a blank vote counts against an amendment. The retired judges amendment, which would have let the chief justice appoint retired judges to temporary assignments, fell short once blank votes were added, as did the dam and reservoir amendment.
Legislature
- House (51 seats): 43 D, 8 R before the election, 44 D, 7 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
- Senate (25 seats): 24 D, 1 R before the election, 24 D, 1 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Appointment of Retired Judges Amendment | Authorizes the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to appoint retired judges to temporary stations. | Failed (55.43% yes) |
| Dam and Reservoir Owners Assistance Amendment | Authorizes the State to issue special purpose revenue bonds and use the proceeds from the bonds to assist dam and reservoir owners to make their facilities compliant with current safety standards. | Failed (54.69% yes) |