Summary
Federal & state elections on the ballot: US Senator, 2 US House members, Governor, and State Senate and House members
Ballot measures:
The Hawaii Office of Elections oversees all Hawaii elections.
OnAir Post: Hawaii Votes in 2024
News
The public could have less transparency in elections and less insight into what political advertisements candidates are paying for under a pair of measures moving through the Hawaii Legislature.
House Bill 144 and House Bill 674 would exempt candidates for office from filing reports on ads with the state. That 20-year-old law was intended to shine a light on how much money candidates and super PACs are spending on ads during election season to sway voters.
Wording in the ad reporting law has confounded some campaigns and led to significant fines in recent years.
The agency in charge of regulating campaign finance has tried to introduce fixes this session. But now, that agency warns that the proposed candidate exemptions would erode scrutiny of campaigns.
About
Contact
Email: Office of Elections
Locations
Office of Elections
802 Lehua Avenue
Pearl City, Hawaii 96782
Phone: (808) 453-VOTE (8683)
Fax: (808) 453-6006
Web Links
Registering to Vote
General Information
Who can register
To register in Hawaii you must:
- be a citizen of the United States
- be a resident of the State of Hawaii
- be at least 16 years old (you must be 18 years old by Election Day in order to vote)
- not be incarcerated for a felony conviction
- not be adjudicated by a court as “non compos mentis”
How to register
- Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
- Sign and date your form. This is very important!
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
- Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.
Election Day registration
If you have missed the voter registration deadline, you can still register to vote and a cast a ballot at the same time during early voting at early walk-in locations and on Election Day at your polling place. Contact your Local Election Office if you have any questions.
Voting Rights restoration
If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.
Registration Status (form)
New Registration (form)
Voting
General Information
Voting as a Student
Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.
Overseas and Military Voting
You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.
If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.
Voting with Disabilities
If you are a long stay patient at a care home or a patient unexpectedly admitted to a hospital, you are still eligible to vote. To ensure the security and integrity of election related activities at care facilities, staff members are discouraged from participating directly with a voter in the process of registering and/or voting absentee. Staff may assist only upon receiving specific authorization from the resident (voter). When asked by a voter to give assistance, care facility staff must remain nonpartisan and have at least two people NOT of the same political party present. This will help eliminate the appearance of any election irregularities while assisting a voter. In addition, staff should:
- Always be mindful of the voting rights of patients as well as their family members
- Refrain from explicit or implicit discriminatory or coercive voter registration practices, as both are prohibited
- Not collect completed voter registration forms shall unless specific authorization is provided by the clerk or chief election officer
- Mail requests for an absentee ballot directly to the local clerk
- Not copy, duplicate or otherwise make use of any information provided on registration forms. Information provided by the voter on the affidavit for registration is confidential
- If acting as an intermediary to pick up an absentee ballot, obtain a letter of authorization from the registered voter and submit it to the clerk
- Ensure that no one asks a voter to see or look at the contents of a voted ballot or choice of party
- Ensure that no one marks a voter’s ballot or directs a voter without authorization
- Not attempt to vote in the name of the patient without specific authorization, as it is illegal
If you require assistance to vote by reason of physical, visual, hearing impairment or inability to read or write, you may be given assistance by a person of the your choice, except for your employer, an agent of your employer, or officer or agent of your union.
For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.
Early Voting
Poll workers may ask you provide a photo ID with a signature. However, this is not required in order to vote. If you have no ID you will be asked to give your date of birth and address to the poll worker in order to verify the information in the poll book.
Identification is required of first-time voters who register by mail and do not provide proof of identification with their application. Acceptable forms of ID include any current and valid photo ID, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address.
Vote by Mail (Absentee)
Absentee ballot rules
All Hawaii elections are held by mail-in ballot. You may apply for an absentee ballot if you need your ballot mailed someplace other than your usual mailing address.
How to get Absentee ballot
- Use our Absentee Ballot form below to prepare your application.
- Sign and date the form. This is very important!
- Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
- All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
- Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
- Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.
What to do next
- Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
- Sign and date where indicated.
- Return your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
- Your voted ballot must be received by the close of polls on Election Day or it will not be counted. Ballots that are postmarked but not received by Election Day will not be considered on time.
- Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any questions.
Absentee ballot application deadline
- In Person: 7 days before Election Day.
- By Mail: 7 days before Election Day.
Absentee ballot submission deadline
Election Day.
Absentee Ballot (form)
Elections Alert (Form)
Pollling Information
Polling Place Locator
You can find your polling place by utilizing your state’s resource.
If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.
Polling Place Hours
The polls will be open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Poll Worker Information
In order to be a poll worker in Hawaii, you must:
- Be qualified to register to vote in Hawaii
- Be at least 16 years old by June 30th of the election year
- Party affiliation generally required
- Be a resident of the precinct
- You will be entitled to compensation
- Complete required training
To sign up, contact your local board of elections.
Office of Elections
Elections Commission
Act 57 (Bill No. HB 267, 2004) establishes a nine (9) member panel, called the Elections Commission, which replaces the Elections and Appointment Review Panel. This panel is composed of the following:
- Two (2) members appointed by the President of the Senate
- Two (2) members appointed by the Senate Minority Leader
- Two (2) members appointed by the Speaker of the House
- Two (2) members appointed by the House Minority Leader
- One (1) member selected by a two-thirds vote of the Elections Commission serves as a Chairperson
Each group of four (4) Elections Commission members selected by each house will include one (1) Elections Commission member from each of the four (4) counties in the State: Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai.
A person from the same county as the departing Elections Commission member will fill a vacancy in the Elections Commission. If the vacancy is not filled within fifteen (15) days, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will fill the vacancy.
Duties
The duties of the Elections Commission provided under Hawaii Revised Statutes §11-7.5 are as follows:
- Hold Public Hearings;
- Investigate and hold hearings for receiving evidence of any violations and complaints;
- Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91;
- Employ, without regard to chapter 76, a full-time Chief Election Officer, pursuant to section 11-1.6; and
- Advise the Chief Election Officer on matters relating to elections
Board of Registration
The Board of Registration hears and decides appeals that arise from a voter challenge or a clerk’s decision regarding voter registration.
Each Board of Registration convenes in their respective county on election day. A board may also convene at the request of the Clerk’s Office to hear appeals from registered voters and remain convened until all appeals are heard.
