Hawaii State Senate elections, 2020
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| 2020 Hawaii Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General | November 3, 2020 |
| Primary | August 8, 2020 |
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There was no change in the partisan makeup of theHawaii State Senate after the 2020 elections, with Democrats preserving their supermajority. Thirteen seats in the chamber were up for election in 2020. Heading into the election, Democrats held 24 seats and Republicans held 1. Neither Democrats nor Republicans lost or gained seats, meaning Democrats maintained their 24-1 supermajority.
TheHawaii State Senate was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in2020. A total of 13 of 25 Hawaii Senate seats were up for election in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.
A special election was called forstate Senate District 16.Click here for more on the special election.
Hawaii's 2020 state legislative elections affected partisan control ofredistricting following the 2020 census. In Hawaii, a commission is responsible for drawing district lines. The majority and minority leaders of the Hawaii State Senate and Hawaii House of Representatives each select two members. These eight members then select a ninth tie-breaking commissioner.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of thecoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Hawaii did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak,click here.
Party control
| Hawaii State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2020 | After November 4, 2020 | |
| Democratic Party | 24 | 24 | |
| Republican Party | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 25 | 25 | |
Candidates
General election
Hawaii State Senate general 2020 | |||
| |||
| Office |  Democratic |  Republican | Other |
| District 2 | Ron Ka-Ipo (Aloha Aina Party) | ||
| District 5 | Rynette Keen (Aloha Aina Party) | ||
| District 8 | This general election was canceled. | ||
| District 9 |
| ||
| District 10 | This general election was canceled. | ||
| District 11 | This general election was canceled. | ||
| District 13 | This general election was canceled. | ||
| District 14 | This general election was canceled. | ||
| District 15 | This general election was canceled. | ||
| District 19 |
| ||
| District 20 |
| Feena Bonoan (Libertarian Party) | |
| District 22 | |||
| District 25 | |||
Primary election
Hawaii State Senate primary 2020 | |||
| |||
| Office | Democratic | Republican | Other |
| District 2 | The Republican primary was canceled. | Aloha Aina Party  Ron Ka-Ipo | |
| District 5 | Aloha Aina Party Rynette Keen | ||
| District 8 |
| The Republican primary was canceled. | |
| District 9 |
| ||
| District 10 | The Republican primary was canceled. | Nonpartisan Paul Shiraishi | |
| District 11 |
| The Republican primary was canceled. | |
| District 13 | The Republican primary was canceled. | ||
| District 14 |
| The Republican primary was canceled. | |
| District 15 |
| The Republican primary was canceled. | |
| District 19 |
| ||
| District 20 |
| The Republican primary was canceled. | Libertarian Party Feena Bonoan |
| District 22 | Nonpartisan Banner Fanene | ||
| District 25 | |||
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in the general election
No incumbents lost in the Nov. 3 general election.
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
No incumbents lost in the Aug. 8 primaries.
Retiring incumbents
There were twoopen seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020.[1] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Ruderman |  Democratic | Senate District 2 |
| Laura Thielen | Democratic | Senate District 25 |
The two seats left open in 2020 represented a decrease from 2018. The table below shows the number of open seats in each election held between 2010 and 2020.
| Open Seats in Hawaii State Senate elections: 2010 - 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2020 | 13 | 2 (15 percent) | 11 (85 percent) |
| 2018 | 13 | 3 (23 percent) | 10 (77 percent) |
| 2016 | 14 | 1 (7 percent) | 13 (93 percent) |
| 2014 | 13 | 2 (15 percent) | 11 (85 percent) |
| 2012 | 25 | 0 (0 percent) | 25 (100 percent) |
| 2010 | 15 | 3 (20 percent) | 12 (80 percent) |
Process to become a candidate
See statutes:Chapter 12, Part I of the Hawaii Revised Statutes
InHawaii, all candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation, must be nominated via the state's primary election before appearing on a general election ballot. In the primary election, a candidate may run as a nonpartisan or as a member of a political party. Nonpartisan candidates appear on a separate, nonpartisan ballot.[2][3][4]
Nomination papers
To be placed on the ballot, a candidate must first file an application for nomination papers with the Hawaii Office of Elections. Nomination papers are available on the first business day in February in every even-numbered year.[5][6]
Nomination papers must be signed by voters qualified to vote for the office being sought by the candidate. The number of signatures required is as follows:[5][7]
- A candidate seeking the offices ofUnited States senator,United States representative,governor orlieutenant governor must collect 25 signatures.
- A candidate seeking office in theHawaii State Legislature must collect 15 signatures.
A signer may sign for only one candidate per office, unless there is more than one seat available for that office. When signing the nomination paper, the signer must provide the following information:[5][8]
- name
- residential address
- date of birth
- the last four digits of Social Security number
- a statement verifying that the signer is qualified to vote for the candidate and that the signer nominates the candidate for the office specified
The following must also be included on the nomination paper:[8]
- the residential address and county in which the candidate resides
- a sworn certification, by self-subscribing oath, by the candidate affirming that he or she is qualified for the office being sought and that all the information provided by the candidate on the nomination paper is correct
- a sworn certification, by self-subscribing oath, by a party candidate that the candidate is a member of the party whose affiliation is indicated on the nomination paper (this is only required of political party candidates)
Filing nomination papers
Except for special primaries or special general elections, the deadline to file nomination papers is the first Tuesday in June. Candidates are advised to file papers early and to collect more than the minimum number of signatures. Exceptions or extensions on filing are prohibited, and once a nomination paper has been filed, a candidate cannot add more signatures.[9][5]
A candidate who holds a public office other than that being sought must resign from his or her current office before filing to be a candidate for a new office. When filing nomination papers, the candidate must certify, by self-subscribing oath, that he or she has resigned from his or her former office.[5]
At the time of filing, the candidate must designate what name he or she wishes to appear on the ballot. A candidate is allowed a maximum of 27 typed spaces on the ballot for names, which includes all letters, spaces, and punctuation marks. Titles are not permitted as part of a candidate's name.[5]
Upon filing, the candidate must sign before a notary public a written oath of affirmation. In order to sign the oath, the candidate must provide a photo ID to the notary public.[5][10]
Any challenges or objections to a candidate's nomination paper must be raised before the 60th day prior to the primary election. Challenges and objections may be raised by registered voters, political party officers who were named on the nomination paper, or by the state's chief elections officer.[5][11]
Filing fees
Filing fees are due at time of filing and must be paid by cash, money order, or certified cashier’s check. Personal or campaign checks will not be accepted. Filing fees may be discounted if the candidate agrees to abide by the state’s voluntary campaign spending limits. Filing fees vary according to the office being sought and are detailed in the table below.[5][9][12]
| Filing fees | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office sought | Filing fee | Discounted filing fee |
| United States senator orUnited States representative | $75 | Not applicable |
| Governor orlieutenant governor | $750 | $75 |
| Mayor | $500 | $50 |
| All other offices | $250 | $25 |
If a candidate cannot afford to pay the filing fee, he or she can instead file an affidavit attesting to that fact and submit a petition in lieu of the filing fee. The petition must be signed by one-half of 1 percent of the total number of registered voters as of the most recent general election in the district in which the candidate is seeking election.[5][9]
Qualifying for the general election ballot
The party candidate who receives the most votes at the primary election advances to the general election.[13]
A nonpartisan candidate can move on to the general election ballot in one of the following ways:[4]
- by receiving at least 10 percent of the votes cast for the office
- by receiving a number of votes equal to the lowest number of votes received by a partisan candidate who was nominated in the primary election for the office
If more nonpartisan candidates gain access to the general election ballot than there are offices up for election, only the nonpartisan candidate who received the highest vote for the office will move on to the general election.[4][13]
2020 ballot access requirements
The table below details filing requirements for Hawaii State Senate candidates in the 2020 election cycle.
| Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber name | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Hawaii State Senate | All candidates | 15 | $250.00 | 6/2/2020 | Source |
Qualifications
FromArticle III, Section 7 of theHawaii Constitution: No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of the senate unless the person has been a resident of the State for not less than three years, has attained the age of majority and is, prior to filing nomination papers and thereafter continues to be, a qualified voter of the senatorial district from which the person seeks to be elected; except that in the year of the first general election following reapportionment, but prior to the primary election, an incumbent senator may move to a new district without being disqualified from completing the remainder of the incumbent senator's term.
Salaries and per diem
| State legislative salaries, 2025[14] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $74,160/year | $225/day; only for legislators who do not reside on Oahu. |
When sworn in
Hawaii legislators assume office on the day they are elected in the general election.[15]
Hawaii political history
Trifectas
Astate government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Hawaii Party Control: 1992-2026
Twenty-seven years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Presidential politics in Hawaii
2016 Presidential election results
| U.S. presidential election, Hawaii, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 62.2% | 266,891 | 4 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 30% | 128,847 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 3.7% | 15,954 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 3% | 12,737 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 1.1% | 4,508 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 428,937 | 4 | |||
| Election results via:Hawaii Office of Elections | |||||
Voter information
How the primary works
Aprimary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election.
Hawaii utilizes anopen primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[16]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.
Poll times
Hawaii is anall-mail voting state, which means that its elections are conducted mostly by mail. There are voter service centers that are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time on Election Day where a voter may vote in person, drop off their voted mail ballot, or register to vote. Voter service centers are also open with varying hours for ten business days prior to each election.[17][18]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration statushere.
To register to vote in Hawaii, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of the state, and at least 18 years old. Pre-registration is available beginning at age 16.[19][20]
Registration can be completed in the following ways:[19]
Online: Visitolvr.hawaii.gov. You must have a current Hawaii Driver’s License or State ID, and a social security number to complete an application online.
Mail: Print & submit a completedVoter Registration Application to yourClerk’s Office. Paper application must be submitted to the county elections division by 4:30 PM on the tenth day before each election.
In-person: Visit the Office of Elections or aClerk’s Office to submit an application in person.
Applications are available at any of the following locations:[19]
- County Elections Divisions
- Clerk’s Offices
- State Libraries
- U.S. Post Offices
- Most State Agencies
- Satellite City Halls
Same-day voter registration is available at voter service centers, to register and vote in-person, beginning 10 days prior and through election day. Once you are registered, you do not need to re-register for another election unless your residence address, mailing address, or name changes.[19]
Automatic registration
- See also:Automatic voter registration
Hawaii offersautomatic voter registration for eligible individuals through the Department of Motor Vehicles when they complete a driver license or state ID application, and the Department of Health and Department of Human Services when applying to receive public assistance.[19]
Online registration
- See also:Online voter registration
Hawaii has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visitingthis website.
Same-day registration
- See also:Same-day voter registration
Hawaii allowssame-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Hawaii, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible. The voter registration application includes the following language: "The residence stated in this affidavit is not simply because of my presence in the State, but was acquired with the intent to make Hawaii my legal residence with all the accompanying obligations therein."[20]
Verification of citizenship
Hawaii does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "any person who knowingly furnishes false information may be guilty of a Class C felony."[21]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[22] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
Hawaii's Online Voter Registration System, run by the Hawaii Office of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Voters in Hawaii are not generally required to present identification while voting.
When registering to vote for the first time, a Hawaii Driver License, Hawaii State ID, or the last 4-digits of the voter's Social Security Number is required. If none of these can be provided, one of the following must be provided as proof of identification:
- A current and valid photo identification; or
- A current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.[20]
Early voting
Hawaii permits early voting. Learn more by visitingthis website.
Early voting allows citizens to cast their ballots in person at a polling place before an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire do not offer no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
Hawaii conducts its elections by mail. All eligible voters automatically receive mail ballots, which must be returned to election officials by the close of polls on Election Day.[17]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 2," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑Hawaii Office of Elections, "Candidate's Manual (2024 elections)," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑4.04.14.2Hawaii Office of Elections, "Nonpartisan Candidates in Partisan Contests," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑5.05.15.25.35.45.55.65.75.85.9Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedhicandidatefactsheet - ↑Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 2.5," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 5," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑8.08.1Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 3," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑9.09.19.2Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 6," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 7," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 8," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑State of Hawaii Office of Elections, "Filing Fees for Candidacy," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑13.013.1Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part IV, Section 41," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑Legislative Reference Bureau, "Hawaii Constitution, Article III, Section 4," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑Hawaii Legislature, "Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 12–31," accessed September 3, 2025
- ↑17.017.1State of Hawaii - Office of Elections, "Voting in Hawaii," accessed November 4, 2025Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "HIvoting" defined multiple times with different content - ↑State of Hawaii - Office of Elections, "Voter Service Centers and Ballot Drop Boxes," accessed November 4, 2025
- ↑19.019.119.219.319.4State of Hawaii Office of Elections, "Registration," accessed November 5, 2025
- ↑20.020.120.2State of Hawaii Office of Elections, "Voter Registration and Permanent Absentee Application," accessed November 5, 2025Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "regapp" defined multiple times with different content - ↑State of Hawaii Office of Elections, "Hawaii Voter Registration Application," accessed November 5, 2025
- ↑Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship.According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
