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Hawaiʻi is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Yet beneath the postcard-perfect scenery lies an uncomfortable reality: our state is the least free in America. That is the conclusion of the Cato Institute's newly released Freedom in the 50 States: 2026 Edition, which ranks Hawaiʻi 50th out of 50 states in economic freedom, personal freedom, and overall liberty. Not 50th in just one category. Last in all three. Governor Josh Green also ranks 47th among the nation's 50 go

Hundreds of Cameras Coming to Hawaii The state Department of Law Enforcement will be installing license plate readers across Hawaiʻi, with about 400 cameras planned statewide. DLE’s director says the number and placement are still being determined, and he names agricultural crime as a main purpose, particularly on Hawaiʻi Island. DLE already operates cameras on Oʻahu and is now moving to Hawaiʻi Island. The Hawaiʻi County Police Department has no license plate cameras in ope

Ballots are in the mail, and Question 2 is the one most people will skim and guess on. It asks whether counties should be allowed to sell “RISE” bonds, short for resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity: “Shall the Hawaii State Constitution be amended to direct the legislature to authorize the counties to issue resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds to fund public improvements in designated districts, repaid solely by future growth in property tax rev

The commission that oversees Chief Election Officer Scott Nago has not met in four months. On October 16, the Hawaii Supreme Court heard why. Commissioners Ralph Cushnie and Tamara McKay petitioned the court to order the Office of Elections to provide the staff support that Hawaii requires. The hearing was set to private after its livestream on the State YouTube account, but thankfully a good citizen captured it on screen recording:

Region 1 sent Austin Martin to the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) specifically to provide oversight. He did the job well. He blew the whistle on a breach of members’ personal data that forensic investigators later confirmed, a Treasurer’s admission of undisclosed conflicts, and a lawsuit against the Party’s former Chair that directors were not allowed to read before it was filed. The LNC answered with two censures, a gag on his list access, and now a 236-page report (co

On September 12, 2026, the Libertarian Party of Hawaii adopted a complete revision of its bylaws and a new party platform at a special convention held in Hilo, Hawaii. The bylaws passed 11 to 1 with one abstention, above the 10 votes needed for two-thirds. The platform passed unanimously.

By: Nick Zehr Every ten years, Honolulu residents get an opportunity that receives surprisingly little attention: the chance to reconsider the basic rules governing the City and County of Honolulu. The Revised Charter requires a Charter Commission every decade to review City government and propose amendments for voters. Unlike ordinary legislation, these amendments change Honolulu’s foundational governing document. Once adopted, they can shape City government long after the o

Call to the 2026 Special Convention, program, order of business, standing rules, sponsorship recognition.

On July 5th, 2026, the Libertarian National Committee unanimously adopted the Resolution on Tribal and National Sovereignty. We covered it on this blog and were proud to do so. Now, party leadership is telling our members to mobilize behind a group whose goal is increase permanent federal control of land. Hawaiʻi will not be taking the bait. We’ve been sold this trade before. Hawaii knows all too well about what happens when native peoples trade in sovereignty. We have rece

Two laws signed in 2025 put the State of Hawaiʻi behind the payments owed under new power purchase agreements (Act 191) and opened HECO's grid to independent producers starting in 2027 (Act 258). Act 258 requires the Public Utilities Commission's wildfire liability cap rules to carry the Governor's approval. Green appointed the PUC chair in January 2026 and re-nominated a second commissioner. That is two of three seats. Green placed the wheeling bill on his intent-to-veto

Governor Green signed a Strategic Partnering Agreement in Tokyo on October 6, 2025, alongside Japan's Energy for a New Era (JERA)'s global CEO. A Honolulu banker introduced Josh Green to JERA, Japan's largest power company. JERA has filed notice that it is now seeking approval for a $2 billion power plant on Oʻahu. Green has taken more than $17,000 from JERA-affiliated individuals across 2024 and 2025. JERA employees, construction unions, Hawaiian Electric personnel,

The Bylaws & Platform Committee has closed out its work for the year, and it is a milestone worth celebrating. This committee has prepared a full bylaws revision and a new platform draft for the upcoming Special Convention. Both committee reports have been adopted and sent to the Executive Committee. Our current bylaws say very little about how revisions are supposed to happen. To keep the work sound, the committee leaned on Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised to create

The Libertarian Party of Hawaii ran its Liberty Survey again this cycle, the same fifteen-question instrument we sent to candidates in 2024. You can view all of the candidates’ answers in spreadsheet form here. The survey asks candidates where they stand on the questions that matter most to us:

The Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Hawaiʻi voted on July 8 to join a joint amicus brief filed with the Libertarian Party Judicial Committee in the appeal to the New Hampshire disaffiliation. Six affiliates signed at the time of filing on July 10. This is a natural continuation from our Resolution Affirming Affiliate Autonomy and Due Process, which the Executive Committee adopted unanimously on June 24. The resolution set out the principles that govern th

Since we published "Free Speech Groundhog Day," the situation has escalated, drawing national attention. On July 8, 2026, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) took up Martin’s case. FIRE is the country's leading campus free speech watchdog. They wrote to Hawaiʻi Community College administrators and called on them to rescind the trespass warning against Libertarian Party of Hawaii and Young Americans for Liberty Chairman Austin Martin immediately. Over th

Hawaii votes by mail, so once you're registered your ballot comes straight to your mailbox. Key dates for 2026: Primary: Saturday, August 8, 2026. Paper deadline is July 29 (paper deadline) General: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Paper deadline is October 26 Missed the deadline? You can still register and vote in person at any Voter Service Center, through Election Day. Register to Vote Online (fastest): olvr.hawaii.gov. You'll need a Hawaii Driver License or State

On July 5, 2026, the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) passed the Resolution on the Warrantless Dragnet Surveillance of Personal Electronic Devices. It condemns the growing web of tracking tools that police departments now use to monitor and track ordinary people. It also calls for a warrant based on individualized probable cause before any agency collects location data. The Libertarian Party of Hawaiʻi backs this resolution, as it applies directly to what is already happ

At the July 5th, 2026 Libertarian National Committee (LNC) meeting, the Resolution on Tribal and National Sovereignty was unanimously adopted. The committee acknowledged the inherent sovereignty of Native American tribal nations and the Hawaiian Kingdom, and affirmed that their sovereignty predates and supersedes the jurisdictional frameworks imposed by the United States government. It made clear the Hawaiian Kingdom's claim outranks what was placed over it in 1893. “the Libe

DATE: Monday, July 06, 2026 TIME: 7:00 pm HST Call to Order of the Bylaws & Platform Committee meeting: 7:11 pm HST. Roll Call: Voting: Austin Martin, Abbra Green, Bryce Thon; Participating: Celina Monge, Sonja Feintech Minutes and revisions from June 29, 2026: Passed without objection. Agenda: Motion by Bryce Thon, second by Abbra Green, passed without objection. Unfinished Business: Bylaws revisions in comments: Article III: Motion by Austin Martin, second by Abbra Green

On June 24, 2026, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Hawaiʻi unanimously adopted a Resolution for State Affiliate Speech Autonomy. The resolution affirms the independence of state affiliates, challenges any claim of national authority to police affiliate communications without express bylaws authorization, and calls for written procedural standards before any affiliate can be disciplined.