LIHU’E – The list of candidates vying for a seat on the Kaua’i County Council looked a little smaller Saturday night, with three people close to being eliminated in the 2024 primary election.

Clint A. Yago Sr., Ana Mo Des and Jeffrey Lindner finished 15th, 16th and 17th respectively after the Hawaii Elections Office released an initial tally shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m.

Yago finished almost 100 votes behind Bart Thomas, who came in 14th. A total of 14 candidates will be running in the parliamentary elections in November.

The first two places went to incumbent Councilman Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. and District Council Chairman Mel Rapozo, followed by former Councilman Arryl Kaneshiro.

Carvalho and Rapozo were the only council candidates to receive more than 6,000 votes.

Ross Kagawa, KipuKai Kualii, Felicia Cowden, Addison Bulosan, Billy DeCosta, Fern Holland and Sherri Cummings rounded out the top 10. Abe Apilado Jr., W. Butch Keahiolalo and Jacquelyn Nelson finished 11th, 12th and 13th, respectively.

Kaua’i County Attorney Rebecca Like also exceeded the 6,000-vote threshold despite running unopposed in the primary.

The primaries were also lackluster in terms of voter turnout; only 25.2 percent of registered voters on Kaua’i participated in the election campaign.

According to initial figures, the total participation was 11,862.

At the time of the election, there were 46,980 registered voters in the county, meaning more than 35,000 people were sitting next to them.