Hawaii Voters Approve Resilient Infrastructure Bonds

Question 2 passed with 64.5% of the vote, letting counties issue bonds for shelter and equity infrastructure funded by targeted property tax growth.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Utilities

Hawaii Voters Approve Resilient Infrastructure Bonds

Live Poll

Should your county be allowed to issue infrastructure bonds repaid by future property taxes?

Hawaii voters approved Question 2, amending the state constitution to allow counties to issue resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds, passing with 64.5% of votes to 35.3%. Question 1, which extends the Senate's confirmation window for judicial appointments from 30 to 60 days, also passed.

Why it matters

Counties would be able to finance infrastructure using property tax increment generated by new development, shifting costs that developers otherwise pass to renters and buyers. Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has taken the position that current state law is unconstitutional, so the change resolves a legal question that had been unsettled.

Question 2 won 64.5% of the vote against 35.3%, and unions and business groups spent over $2.8 million supporting it. Similar tax-increment bonds are used in 48 other states, but how Hawaii counties will deploy them remains to be set.

The players

Anne Lopez

Hawaii Attorney General who has argued that the state's current law permitting such bonds is unconstitutional.

RISE Together Hawaii

Coalition campaign led by the Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund that spent heavily to support Question 2.

The details

Under the amendment, counties would pay for infrastructure through property tax increment financing generated by new development in designated districts. RISE Together Hawaii, led by the Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund, backed the measure, while the Senate's confirmation timeline was lengthened under Question 1 for appointments made when lawmakers are out of session.

Nov. 4, 2026: First voting results released Tuesday evening showing both amendments passing.

Roadmap

Hawaii now joins the 48 other states that use tax-increment financing bonds for infrastructure, after the Attorney General had questioned whether existing state law allowed them. The amendment places the tool in the state constitution rather than relying on statute.

Property owners in districts where counties adopt these bonds may see property tax increases tied to new development, though the exact rates have not been set. Renters and buyers could see fewer developer costs passed through in future housing prices if the financing model works as proponents expect.

The takeaway

Voters have now given counties a constitutional path to fund infrastructure through targeted property tax growth, so residents in future development districts should watch for county proposals that define how those tax revenues will be applied.