Join Civil Beat journalists as they interview political candidates

The primaries are almost here. You may have already received your ballot in the mail by the time you read this.

But if you live on the North Shore, the West Side of Oahu, or the Kakaako-Downtown Honolulu area, you can still come to one of our election-themed pop-up newsrooms and meet the candidates.

On Monday, reporter Blaze Lovell will moderate a discussion with Sheila Medeiros, the Republican challenger for House District 43, which covers Kapolei and Makakilo. This is one of the few seats in the Hawaii Legislature where Republican incumbent Kanani Souza is.

But Souza has refused to participate in this forum, so the floor will be Medeiros alone. Souza has filed complaints with the Honolulu Police Department against Medeiros for harassment and has tried unsuccessfully to get restraining orders. Medeiros is a U.S. Army veteran and Souza is an attorney.

The pop-up lunch break will take place from 11am to 1:30pm at Kapolei High School.

On Wednesday, Lovell will host what promises to be another lively debate in Haleiwa for the candidates running for Senate District 23, which covers the North Shore from Mokuleia to Kaneohe. Former Sen. Clayton Hee and Ben Shafer, a theater technician, are running against each other in the Democratic primary.

Sen. Brenton Awa, a Republican who currently holds the seat but is not running against a candidate in the primary, also plans to join the discussion.

The lunchtime forum, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will be held in the Haleiwa Gymnasium.

And on Friday, in what may be the hottest race in the state this year, Lovell will speak with businesswoman Kim Coco Iwamoto, who is once again challenging House Speaker Scott Saiki in the Democratic primary. But Saiki has declined our invitation to attend the session so people will have a chance to hear more from Iwamoto alone. She has come close to defeating Saiki twice.

The forum is in Kakaako at Box Jelly from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM

These election pop-ups are meant to be a way to learn more about the candidates through polite discussion. Questions from the audience will be passed on to the candidates, but the moderator will be in charge. Light pupus and refreshments will be available.

There is enough time to talk to each other, but these are not political meetings.

Click on this link for more information about these events.