Voters have an opportunity on Nov. 6 to elect a woman to replace retiring Hawaii U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka. The race for the U.S. Senate seat features Democratic Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle. Hirono is giving up her seat as the Hawai‘i 2nd Congressional District representative in the U.S. House of Representatives while Lingle is seeking to get back into political office two years after completing two terms as governor of Hawai‘i. The candidates have jointly agreed to participate in four statewide televised debates in October. These particular forums provide a chance for viewers to see the candidates together on one stage discussing their stance on the islands’ most critical issues and what they would do to address them if elected.

The four Hirono-Lingle debates are scheduled for:

• October 8, 7 p.m., on KHON, sponsored by AARP.
• October 16, 8 p.m. on KITV, sponsored by Civil Beat.
• October 18, 8 p.m., on PBS Hawaii.
• October 22, 8 p.m., on Hawaii News Now, sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.