| Elections in Hawaii |
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Elections in Hawaii are held for various local, state, and federal seats in thestate ofHawaii. Regular elections are held every even year, althoughspecial elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time. Theprimary election is held on the second Saturday in August, while the general election is held onElection Day, which is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.[1]
In a 2020 study, Hawaii was ranked as the 6th-easiest state for citizens to vote in, based on registration and identification requirements, and convenience provisions.[2]
The next scheduled statewide general election in Hawaii will take place onNovember 3, 2026.[3] The most recent statewide election was held onNovember 5, 2024.
Hawaii participates infederal elections along with every other state in theUnited States. The state votes on electors forpresident andvice president, as well as legislators to represent it inCongress.
Since itsadmission in 1959, Hawaii has participated in 17indirectpresidential elections which have been held every four years since1960. The state is currently delegated four electors to theElectoral College which has remained unchanged since1964. Candidates for president and vice president are listed on the ballot either as nominees of a qualified political party, or as apetitioned candidate who represents an unqualified party or group.[4]
Hawaii is represented in theUnited States Senate by two senators. They are elected to six-year terms through statewide elections with candidates nominated by political parties through partisan primary elections.Mazie Hirono andBrian Schatz serve as the state's current senators. Hirono was last elected in2024 and is up for re-election in2030, while Schatz was last elected in2022 and is up for re-election in2028.
Additionally, Hawaii is represented in theUnited States House of Representatives by twomembers of Congress, whom are elected in the twocongressional districts to two-year terms. The districts arereapportioned every ten years following the release of a newcensus. The state's current representatives areEd Case, who represents the1st district, andKai Kahele, who represents the2nd district. They were last elected in2024 and are both up for re-election in2026.
Hawaii also holds elections for its ownstate government.
Thegovernor andlieutenant governor are the only statewide elected executive offices. Candidates for both offices are nominated in separate primary elections and run as a party-nominatedticket in the general election. They are elected to four-year terms and arelimited from serving more than two consecutive terms, although a governor is eligible for re-election if they were out of office for at least one election cycle. The current governor isJosh Green, serving with lieutenant governorSylvia Luke. They were elected in2022. Green is eligible for re-election in2026.
| Year | Democratic nominee | Republican nominee | Independent candidate | Libertarian nominee | Green nominee | Other candidate | Other candidate | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | ||||||||
| 1959 | John A. Burns | 82,074 | 48.66% | William F. Quinn | 86,213 | 51.12% | – | – | – | David Kihei (Commonwealth) | 480 | 0.98% | – | |||||||||||||||
| 1962 | John A. Burns | 114,308 | 58.32% | William F. Quinn | 81,707 | 41.68% | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | John A. Burns | 108,840 | 51.06% | Randolph Crossley | 104,324 | 48.94% | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | John A. Burns | 137,812 | 57.65% | Samuel P. King | 101,249 | 42.35% | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||
| 1974 | George Ariyoshi | 136,262 | 54.58% | Randolph Crossley | 113,388 | 45.42% | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||
| 1978 | George Ariyoshi | 153,394 | 54.48% | John R. Leopold | 124,610 | 44.25% | Alema Leota | 1,982 | 0.70% | Gregory Reeser | 1,059 | 0.38% | – | John Moore (Aloha Democratic) | 542 | 0.19% | – | |||||||||||
| 1982 | George Ariyoshi | 141,043 | 45.23% | D. G. Anderson | 81,507 | 26.14% | Frank Fasi | 89,303 | 28.64% | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||
| 1986 | John D. Waiheʻe | 173,655 | 51.98% | D. G. Anderson | 160,460 | 48.02% | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | John D. Waiheʻe | 203,491 | 59.83% | Fred Hemmings | 131,310 | 38.61% | Peggy Ha'o Ross | 2,446 | 0.72% | Don Smith | 2,885 | 0.85% | – | – | – | |||||||||||||
| 1994 | Ben Cayetano | 134,978 | 36.58% | Pat Saiki | 107,908 | 29.24% | – | – | Kioni Dudley | 12,969 | 3.51% | Frank Fasi (Best) | 113,158 | 30.67% | – | |||||||||||||
| 1998 | Ben Cayetano | 204,206 | 50.11% | Linda Lingle | 198,952 | 48.82% | – | George Peabody | 4,398 | 1.08% | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Mazie Hirono | 179,647 | 47.01% | Linda Lingle | 197,009 | 51.56% | Jim Brewer | 1,147 | 0.30% | Tracy Ryan | 1,364 | 0.36% | – | Bu La'ia Hill (Natural Law) | 2,561 | 0.67% | Daniel Cunningham (Independent) | 382 | 0.10% | |||||||||
| 2006 | Randy Iwase | 121,717 | 35.35% | Linda Lingle | 215,313 | 62.53% | – | Ozell Daniel | 1,850 | 0.54% | Jim Brewer | 5,435 | 1.58% | – | – | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Neil Abercrombie | 222,724 | 58.22% | Duke Aiona | 157,311 | 41.12% | Tom Pollard | 1,263 | 0.33% | – | – | Daniel Cunningham (Free Energy) | 1,265 | 0.33% | – | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | David Ige | 181,106 | 49.45% | Duke Aiona | 135,775 | 37.08% | Mufi Hannemann | 42,934 | 11.72% | Jeff Davis | 6,395 | 1.75% | – | – | – | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | David Ige | 244,934 | 62.67% | Andria Tupola | 131,719 | 33.70% | Terrence Teruya | 4,067 | 1.04% | – | Jim Brewer | 10,123 | 2.59% | – | – | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | Josh Green | 261,025 | 63.16% | Duke Aiona | 152,237 | 36.84% | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||
All twenty-five members of theHawaii Senate are elected in single-member constituent districts. The senate follows a 2-4-4 term system; every ten years, senators are elected to two-year terms, while the next four elections are held for four-year terms in half of the senate's seats. The current composition of the senate was elected in2022 and2024; half of the seats will be up for election in2026.
All fifty-one members of theHawaii House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms in single-member constituent districts. The current composition of the house was elected in2024; all seats will be up for election in2026.
All nine members of theOffice of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees are elected in nonpartisan statewide contests. Trustees are elected to a four-year term by general election of Hawaii registered voters. The islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, and Hawai‘i each have one representative trustee; the rest serve in an at-large capacity. The current composition of the board was elected in 2022; the trustees for Maui, Kauai, and Molokai, and two at-large seats, will be up for election in 2024.
As of May 2025, there are three registeredpolitical parties in Hawaii:[5]
For a political party to qualify, it must petition for signatures of at least 0.1% of total registered voters as of the previous general election. The petition is due 170 days before the primary election. For a registered party to remain qualified, it must have run a candidate in the previous general election for any statewide office or U.S. Representative seat whose incumbent was either barred from or chose not to run for re-election. Additionally, the party must have satisfied at least one of the following requirements in the previous election:
Formerly qualified parties include:
Hawaii is unique in that it is the only state in the country in whichindependent or candidates run in a primary election to qualify as the soleNonpartisan candidate in the general election. To appear on the ballot, these candidates must either receive 10% of the total primary votes for the office, or receive more votes than the lowest vote received by a partisan candidate.[6]
State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020
State ofHawaii | |
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Honolulu (capital) | |
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| Society | |
| Main islands | |
| Northwestern Islands | |
| Notable communities | |
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| Pre-statehood history | |
