Elections in Hawaii

Hawaii participates in federal elections along with every other state in the United States. The state votes on electors for president and vice president, as well as legislators to represent it in Congress.

Since its admission in 1959, Hawaii has participated in 16 indirect presidential elections which have been held every four years since 1960. The state is currently delegated four electors to the Electoral College which has remained unchanged since 1964. Candidates for president and vice president are listed on the ballot either as nominees of a qualified political party, or as a petitioned candidate who represents an unqualified party or group.[3]

Hawaii is represented in the United 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 and Brian Schatz serve as the state's current senators. Hirono was last elected in 2018 and is up for re-election in 2024, while Schatz was last elected in 2022 and is up for re-election in 2028.

Additionally, Hawaii is represented in the United States House of Representatives by two members of Congress, whom are elected in the two congressional districts to two-year terms. The districts are reapportioned every ten years following the release of a new census. The state's current representatives are Ed Case, who represents the 1st district, and Kai Kahele, who represents the 2nd district. They were last elected in 2022 and are both up for re-election in 2024.

Hawaii also holds elections for its own state government.

The governor and lieutenant governor are the only statewide elected executive offices. Candidates for both offices are nominated in separate primary elections and run as a party-nominated ticket in the general election. They are elected to four-year terms and are limited 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 is Josh Green, serving with lieutenant governor Sylvia Luke. They were elected in 2022. Green is eligible for reelection in 2026.

All twenty-five members of the Hawaii 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 in 2018 and 2020; all seats will be up for election in 2022.

All fifty-one members of the Hawaii House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms in single-member constituent districts. The current composition of the house was elected in 2020; all seats will be up for election in 2022.

Hawaii is unique in that it is the only state in the country in which independent or candidates run in a primary election to qualify as the sole Nonpartisan 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.[5]