Campaign finance requirements in Hawaii
 in Hawaii |
Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates and campaigns may receive from individuals and organizations, how they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political parties may contribute to campaigns. In addition to direct campaign contributions, campaign finance laws also apply to third-party organizations andnonprofit organizations that seek to influence elections throughindependent expenditures orissue advocacy.
This page providesbackground on campaign finance regulation, listscontribution limits to state candidates and ballot measures inHawaii,compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Hawaii with those from other states, and details thecandidate reporting requirements in Hawaii.
The information on this page pertains to candidates for state office and state ballot measures. Candidates for federal office are subject to federal campaign finance law. Candidates for local office are subject to all applicable state laws as well as any separate local campaign finance regulations.[1]
Background
TheFederal Election Commission (FEC) is the independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign election laws. The FEC is responsible for disclosing campaign finance information, enforcing limits and prohibitions on contributions and overseeing public funding of presidential elections.[2] According to the FEC, an individual becomes a federal candidate and must begin reporting campaign finances once he or she has either raised or spent $5,000 in his or her campaign. Within fifteen days of this benchmark, the candidate must register with the FEC and designate an official campaign committee, which is responsible for the funds and expenditures of the campaign. This committee must have an official treasurer and cannot support any candidate but the one who registered it. Detailed financial reports are then made to the FEC every financial quarter after the individual is registered. Reports are also made before primaries and before the general election.[3]
The rules governing federal election campaigns and contributions have evolved over the past generation as result of a number of Supreme Court decisions. In the 2010Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited. The court's decision also overturned the ban on for-profit and not-for-profit corporations and unions broadcasting electioneering communications in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before a general election.[4] In theSpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission decision, the first application of theCitizens United decision, the court held that contribution limits on what individuals could give to independent expenditure-only groups, and the amount these organizations could receive, were unconstitutional. Contribution limits on donations directly to candidates, however, remained unchanged.[5][6] In 2014'sMcCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court overturned biennial aggregate campaign contribution limits, and held that individuals may contribute to as many federal candidates as they want, but may only contribute up to the federal limit in each case.[7]
While the FEC governs federal election campaigns and contribution limits, individual states require their own level of regulation and reporting. The amount of regulation required differs by state, as do the limits on campaign contributions and third-party activities to influence elections. Candidates for local office must follow any applicable state and local campaign finance regulations.
Contribution limits
The table below details contribution limits as they applied to various types of individuals and groups in Hawaii as of July 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.[8]
| Individuals | PACs | Political party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 | |||
| Senate | $4,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $4,000 | $4,000 | |||
| House | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $2,000 | $2,000 | |||
| PAC | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $1,000 | |||
| Party committees | $25,000 per two-year election period | $25,000 per two-year election period | $25,000 per two-year election period* | $0 | $25,000 per two-year election period | $25,000 per two-year election period | |||
| Ballot measures | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $0 | Unlimited | Unlimited | |||
| Limits apply per election cycle. | |||||||||
| *Political committees established and maintained by a national political party cannot make contributions to a party in an aggregate amount greater than $50,000 in any two-year election period. | |||||||||
| Source:State of Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission, "Contribution Limits," accessed July 13, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
As of the 2024 elections, 38 states, including Hawaii, had varying limits on individual contributions to gubernatorial or state legislative candidates. There were no limits in the remaining 12 states.
Individual contribution limits in Hawaii:
- Governor: $6,000 per election
- State Senate: $4,000 per election
- State House: $2,000 per election
In the 38 states with individual contribution limits:
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes:Chapter 11, Part XIII of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (Campaign Spending Law)
General requirements
Each candidate must register a candidate committee with theHawaii Campaign Spending Commission within 10 days of either filing nomination papers for a state or local office with theHawaii Office of Elections or county clerk's office or receiving contributions or making expenditures in an aggregate amount of more than $100, whichever comes first[10]
The registration process begins by completing the "Candidate Committee Electronic Filing Form" and submitting it to the commission's office. The form is available on the commission's website. The candidate, chairperson, and treasurer of the committee must sign the form. The commission will send a website username and password to the committee. After gaining access to the website, the candidate must continue by completing an Organizational Report, which must include the following:[11]
- the name, phone number, mailing address, webpage address (if the candidate has one), office sought, district, county, and party affiliation of the candidate/candidate committee
- the name, phone number, and mailing address of a chairperson and deputy chairperson
- the name, phone number, and mailing address of a campaign treasurer and any deputy campaign treasurers
- name and address of the depository institution (bank) chosen to deposit contributions and to make expenditures
Reporting requirements
Complete records of campaign contributions and expenditures must be maintained for at least five years.[11]
By law, a candidate who runs for office inHawaii is required to file reports electronically even if the candidate raises no money, self-funds their campaign, or spends no money. The candidateand treasurer must file preliminary, supplemental, and final reports that disclose the following information:[10]
- contributions
- expenditures
- other receipts
- loans
- unpaid expenditures
- durable assets
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Hawaii's current legislative session.[12]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 5 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Hawaii Candidate Resignation, Amendment 5 (1978)
- Hawaii Campaign Finance, Amendment 6 (1978)
- Hawaii Unopposed Candidate Primary Elections, Amendment 3 (1988)
- Hawaii Primary Election Voting, Amendment 11 (1968)
- Hawaii Regarding Executive Positions, Amendment 15 (1968)
Contact information
Election agencies
- See also:State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Hawaii can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Hawaii County Election Divisions
Hawaii Office of Elections
- 802 Lehua Avenue
- Pearl City, Hawaii 96782
- Phone: 808-453-8683
- Toll free: 1-800-442-8683
- Fax: 808-453-6006
- Email:elections@hawaii.gov
- Website:http://hawaii.gov/elections/
Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission
- Leiopapa A Kamehameha Building
- 235 S. Beretania Street, Room 300
- Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
- Phone: 808-586-0285
- Fax: 808-586-0288
- Website:http://ags.hawaii.gov/campaign/
Hawaii State Ethics Commission
- 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 970
- Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
- Phone: 808-587-0460
- Fax: 808-587-0470
- Email:info.ethics@hawaiiethic.gov
- Website:https://ethics.hawaii.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email:clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website:https://www.eac.gov
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
- 1050 First Street, NE
- Washington, DC 20463
- Telephone: (202)-694-1100
- Toll-free: 1-800-424-9530
- Email:info@fec.gov
- Website:http://www.fec.gov/
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsHawaii campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑National Conference of State Legislatures, "Campaign Finance Enforcement," accessed May 28, 2025
- ↑Federal Election Commission, "About the FEC," accessed June 27, 2012
- ↑Federal Election Commission, "Candidate Registration Brochure," accessed December 7, 2012
- ↑New York Times, "Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit," January 21, 2010
- ↑Federal Election Commission, "Speechnow.org v. FEC," April 7, 2014
- ↑OpenSecrets, "Two Federal Court Rulings Could Change Campaign Finance Landscape," March 26, 2010
- ↑Federal Election Commission, "Ongoing Litigation," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑Vox, "Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts on elections, but must disclose their donors," accessed May 21, 2015
- ↑National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Limits on Contributions to Candidates 2023-2024 Election Cycle," accessed May 8, 2025
- ↑10.010.1State of Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services, "Chapter 11, Part XIII of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (Campaign Spending Law)," accessed July 14, 2025
- ↑11.011.1State of Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services, "Guidebook for Candidate Committees," accessed July 14, 2025
- ↑Bills are organized by most recent action. Clicking on a bill will open its page onBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
