Some legislators have come to rely on surveying their constituents ahead of final votes on issues such as whether to legalize recreational cannabis for adults or dip into the state’s rainy day fund to help Maui recover from the Aug. 8 wildfires.

The state Legislature adjourns May 3, and some lawmakers say they want to better understand the wishes of residents in their districts as critical votes lie ahead.

State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole (D, Kaneohe-­Kailua), who sent out a recent survey, said, “It gives my constituents the opportunity to weigh in and then share their concerns or their feelings on everything.”

Keohokalole said he has sent out annual constituent surveys for 10 years. “I actually copied this idea off of Rep. Takashi Ohno, who no longer serves,” he said.

In the same district, state Rep. Scot Matayoshi (D, Kaneohe-Maunawili) mails out surveys ahead of the legislative session instead of during it. “I want to get a gauge on how people are feeling about major issues or sometimes bills I’m planning on introducing to get a temperature on how the district is doing,” Matayoshi said.

He said the responses guide him to vote on controversial bills.

Some topics Matayoshi brought up in his survey for this legislative session include legalizing recreational cannabis and recreational psychedelic mushrooms, regulating vaping products and hiring more immigrant workers.

“It doesn’t dictate how I vote,” Matayoshi said. “It’s good to know what the community is thinking.”

Keohokalole’s current survey has four questions and was posed the same way he received them before he became a legislator: Respondents can circle either “Yes,” “No” or “Reservations,” along with the opportunity to provide comments.

Respondents can send back his mailer, respond via an online link or by scanning a QR code.

Keohokalole’s current survey asked residents whether they support speed bumps to improve highway safety; whether public funds should be used to assist election candidates; whether cannabis should be legalized; and whether the state’s expected $1.5 billion rainy day fund should be used to help Maui recover.

Keohokalole said he typically receives about 500 responses and that he reviews each one.

But the responses double to “like 1,000” whenever he asks constituents questions about former President Donald Trump, such as his impeachment.

Previous surveys included “pressing” topics such as what to do about Kaneohe’s Haiku Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven, vacation rentals and cannabis legalization.

This year Keohokalole introduced Senate Bill 3335, which would legalize adult cannabis use and create oversight bodies to regulate cannabis and hemp.

The bill passed out of the Senate, crossed over to the House and earlier passed out of the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee, where former Gov. Linda Lingle took her first public stance before the Legislature since leaving office, opposing the bill.

Other questions on Keohokalole’s survey address “big-ticket topics that are sometimes controversial but also significant, either in our district or statewide,” he said.

Keohokalole said speed bump installations have been an effort the state Department of Transportation has initiated over several years.

“It’s just an ongoing program that has had significant impact in our district because there are a number of those speed bumps on state highways that have come up in Kailua and Kaneohe,” he said.

Asked why he asked voters about the rainy day fund, Keohokalole said Gov. Josh Green has “on multiple occasions stated to the press that he would take emergency action to appropriate funds for the Maui response, regardless of the approval of the Legislature.”

Keohokalole said he ensures that the questions pertain to actions he’s contemplating and likely will have to determine throughout the session.

“Do you support the use of public funds to assist election candidates?” referred to a clean-elections bill — SB 2381 — that died a day before Keohokalole’s survey was released.

“I was wrong; I thought the bill was going to be there until the end,” Keohokalole said.

He said constituents’ responses will guide him in introducing more community-­ relevant bills next legislative session, addressing their desires.

Keohokalole said that after receiving, studying and publishing the results, he explains to his constituents on how he voted so they can understand his thought process.

“If I end up voting or supporting initiatives that my constituents are on the opposite side of, they still appreciate the opportunity to weigh in and give their opinion at the moment when it’s relevant,” he said.