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What’s in a name Part 1: A 2023 law requiring the Hawaii Office of Elections and the Campaign Spending Commission to include a candidate’s legal name “wherever the name requested to be printed on the ballot is used.” But that does not include the most important place it is used: on the ballot itself.

That could make it difficult for voters to learn more about certain candidates, now that the filing deadline has closed and we have several hundred .

The law was inspired by Jonathan Lee Stremel, a Democrat who in 2022 lost to Democrat Darius Kila in the House District 44 primary. Stremel, who in the past faced allegations of domestic abuse and discrimination, campaigned under the name Jonathan Lee.

Kila, who today represents Honokai Hale, Nanakuli and Maili in the House, authored the bill that changed the law. But it still can be a little tricky to figure out the identities of some of the candidates running for office this year.

For example, someone by the name of Tupai Jr. is running for mayor of Hawaii County, and you’ll see his campaign signs plastered all over the Big Island. His real name is Seaula Tupai Jr., which is how his name appeared when he was Duke Aiona’s running mate on the GOP ticket for governor just two years ago. A quick Google search will turn up Tupai’s , which does disclose his full identity.

Interestingly, the of Kila’s House Bill 1294 called for every candidate for public office in the state to use their legal name “for all election purposes.” But that got changed in the final wording. Word is Kila and his colleagues may look to tweak the bill next session.

What’s in a name Part 2: There are other ballot names this year that differ in distinct ways from their legal names.

Shaena L. Hoohuli is running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican named Shaena Dela Cruz Hoohuli. Her that Dela Cruz is her maiden name.

Other ballot names make sense, too. Dennis Onishi is known widely as “Fresh” Onishi in Big Island politics, Daynette Morikawa on Kauai is “Dee” Morikawa, while Ernesto Ganaden is better known on Oahu as “Sonny” Ganaden. Terez Amato’s legal name is Terez M.A. Lindsey. All four politicians are on the 2024 ballot.

The oddest ballot name by far this election cycle is Shelby Pikachu Billionaire, a We The People party candidate running for the U.S. Senate.

The Office of Elections tells us that his legal name really is Shelby Billionaire, which appears on . He added Pikachu, star of the Pokemon media franchise.

Google “Shelby Pikachu Billionaire” and you’ll be directed to YouTube, where recent clips include a Nanakuli Neighborhood Board meeting apparently filmed by Mr. Billionaire himself. The YouTube account is under the name , the real fictional name of the D.C. Comics action hero Batman.

What’s in a name Part 3: Last month the Big Island Press Club announced a change in its top leadership after president Michael Phillips stepped down to run for a Hawaii County Council seat. He will recuse himself from political and fundraiser projects and related votes “in order to avoid conflicts of interest,” according to a press release.

But here’s the twist: The name Michael Phillips does not appear on the 2024 ballot. He’s running under his legal name, Michael Konowicz.

“With the club, Phillips has used his professional name, adopted when he became an on-air meteorologist,” the press release explains.

The candidate’s states this: “For most of my professional broadcast work, I use the airname ‘Michael Phillips,’ a name given to me during my very first television weatherman job.”

Hard core: Speaking of Phillips … um, sorry, Konowicz … and the Hawaii County Council race, 31 candidates have filed to run, easily making it the most crowded field in the Aug. 10 primary. It turns out that including the weatherman are part of a coordinated campaign called .

“For the first time in Hawaii Island’s history, leading County Council candidates joined forces in hopes of quickly changing the county’s focus to providing core government services,” says a June 7 press release. “While these candidates represent diverse perspectives and ideologies, they share a unified platform focused on delivering core services that aim to serve the community better.”

While each candidate will campaign in their respective districts, the coordinated campaign “will bring advertising to the entire island featuring all candidate profiles and photographs.”

Hmmm. The Blog wonders whether Core ’24 might draw the attention of the Office of Elections and the Campaign Spending Commission.