About 72,000 troops, their dependents and students who maintain residences outside of Hawaii were left out of counts used to shape state legislative districts a decade ago, a decision the Hawaii Reapportionment Commission is revisiting.

Because most military members live on Oahu, their addition could deny the Big Island from gaining a fourth Senate seat despite being the fastest-growing area of the state.

If out-of-state military are counted, Republicans could benefit because conservative-leaning districts surrounding bases may be split, leading to a similar number of voters choosing representatives in two districts instead of one.