Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Hawaii

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Note: This article is not intended to serve as an exhaustive guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in Hawaii, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

  1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
  2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
  3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Hawaii. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Hawaii." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

DocumentIcon.jpg See state election laws

Year-specific filing information

2024

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Hawaii in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Hawaii, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Hawaii U.S. Senate All candidates 25 $75.00 6/4/2024 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Hawaii in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Hawaii, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Hawaii U.S. House All candidates 25 $75.00 6/4/2024 Source


For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Show more

2022

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Hawaii in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Hawaii, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Hawaii U.S. Senate All candidates 25 $75.00 6/7/2022 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Hawaii in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Hawaii, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Hawaii U.S. House All candidates $25.00 $75.00 6/7/2022 Source

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Hawaii in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Hawaii, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source Notes
Hawaii Governor N/A 25 $750.00 6/7/2022 Source

2020

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Hawaii in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Hawaii, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Hawaii 1st Congressional District All parties 25 Fixed number $75.00 Fixed number 6/2/2020 Source
Hawaii 1st Congressional District Unaffiliated 25 Fixed number $75.00 Fixed number 6/2/2020 Source
Hawaii 2nd Congressional District All parties 25 Fixed number $75.00 Fixed number 6/2/2020 Source
Hawaii 2nd Congressional District Unaffiliated 25 Fixed number $75.00 Fixed number 6/2/2020 Source

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Hawaii House of Representatives candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Hawaii House of Representatives All candidates 15 $250.00 6/2/2020 Source

State Senate

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

2018

See also: State and federal candidate filing deadlines for 2018 and Hawaii elections, 2018

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

June 5, 2018

2016

See also: Hawaii elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Hawaii in 2016.[1]

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline Event type Event description
February 1, 2016 Ballot access Candidate nomination papers are available for pick-up from state elections office or county elections officials
February 25, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for petition to form new political party (party rules and a list of officers must also be submitted at this time)
June 7, 2016 Ballot access Deadline for filing nomination papers
July 14, 2016 Campaign finance First preliminary primary report due
July 22, 2016 Campaign finance Candidate financial disclosure forms due (state candidates)
August 3, 2016 Campaign finance Second preliminary primary report due
August 10, 2016 Campaign finance Primary election late contributions report due
August 13, 2016 Election date Primary election
September 2, 2016 Campaign finance Final primary report due
September 2, 2016 Campaign finance Expense report on use of public funds in primary election due
October 31, 2016 Campaign finance Preliminary general election report due
November 7, 2016 Campaign finance General election late contributions report due
November 8, 2016 Election date General election
December 8, 2016 Campaign finance Final election period report due
December 8, 2016 Campaign finance Expense report on use of public funds in general election due
December 8, 2016 Campaign finance Last day to file final primary and general application for public funds
January 31, 2017 Campaign finance Final day to submit supplemental report on deficit/surplus funds
Source: Hawaii Office of Elections, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed June 5, 2015

2015


2014


Process to become a candidate

Application for nomination papers, 2014

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 12, Part I of the Hawaii Revised Statutes

In Hawaii, 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.[5][6][7]

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.[6][8]

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:[6][9]

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:[6][10]

  • his or her name
  • his or her residential address
  • his or her date of birth
  • the last four digits of his or her Social Security number
  • a statement verifying that he or she is qualified to vote for the candidate and that he or she nominates the candidate for the office specified

The following must also be included on the nomination paper:[10]

  • 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

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.[11][6]

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.[6]

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.[6]

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.[6][12]

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.[6][13]

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.[6][11]

Filing fees
Office sought Filing fee Discounted filing fee
United States senator or United States representative $75 Not applicable
Governor or lieutenant governor $750 $75
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.[6][11]

Qualifying for the general election ballot

The party candidate who receives the most votes at the primary election advances to the general election.[14]

A nonpartisan candidate can move on to the general election ballot in one of the following ways:[7]

  • 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.[7][14]

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 12 Part I, Section 6 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes

In some cases, political parties and/or candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain ballot access. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining to petitions and circulators in Hawaii.

Format requirements

In Hawaii, petitions are used to establish new political parties or to waive filing fees. Petitions are prescribed to political parties and candidates by the Hawaii Office of Elections. Petition sets should not be separated.[15][16]

Circulation requirements

The Hawaii Revised Statutes do not address requirements for petition circulators. Specifically, there are no residency requirements for circulators.

Objections

A signer may withdraw his or her name from a petition as long as the petition has not yet been filed with the Hawaii Office of Elections. To do so, the signer must file a written notice with the Hawaii Office of Elections. This notice must include the following information:[15][17]

  • the signer's name
  • the signer's Social Security number
  • the signer's residence address
  • the signer's date of birth
  • the signer's signature, included with the printed name under which the signer is registered to vote

Election-related agencies

See also: State election agencies

Hawaii Office of Elections

802 Lehua Avenue
Pearl City, Hawaii 96782
Telephone: 808-453-8683
Toll-free: 800-442-8683
Fax: 808-453-6006
Email: elections@hawaii.gov
Website: http://hawaii.gov/elections/
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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Term limits

Some Hawaii state executives are subject to term limits. These limits are established in Article V of the Hawaii Constitution.

State executives

State Executive Officials
See also: State executives with term limits and States with gubernatorial term limits

The state executive term limits in Hawaii are as follows:[18]

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

There are no term limits placed on Hawaii state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

Portal:Legislative Branch
See also: List of United States Representatives from Hawaii and List of United States Senators from Hawaii

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation from Hawaii.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Hawaii
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 2 4
Republican 0 0 0
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 2 4

State legislative partisanship

Portal:State legislatures

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature of Hawaii.

Hawaii State Senate

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 23
     Republican Party 2
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 25

Hawaii House of Representatives

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 45
     Republican Party 6
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 51

Related legislation

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The embedded table below lists state bills affecting ballot access requirements for candidates introduced in Hawaii. The following information is included for each bill:

  • State
  • Bill number
  • Official name or caption
  • Most recent action date
  • Legislative status
  • Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

Ballotpedia’s comprehensive Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker is the basis for this data. This user-friendly tracker covers thousands of election-related bills in state legislatures, and organizes them by topic with neutral, expert analysis from Ballotpedia’s election administration researchers.

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See also

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External links

Official state and federal links

Other information

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Hawaii Office of Elections, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed June 5, 2015
  2. ↑ Hawaii Office of Elections Website, "2014 Candidates," accessed November 7, 2013
  3. ↑ Office of Elections Factsheet, "The Petition Process To Qualify a Political Party For Election Ballot Purposes in the State Of Hawaii," accessed November 7, 2013
  4. ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 11, Part XIII, Section 334," accessed March 13, 2014
  5. ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 2," accessed March 12, 2014
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 Hawaii Office of Elections, "Factsheet: 2014 Filing Process," Revised February 3, 2014
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Hawaii Office of Elections, "Factsheet: Nonpartisan Candidates Qualification for the General Election," accessed March 12, 2014
  8. ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 2.5," accessed March 12, 2014
  9. ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 5," accessed March 12, 2014
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 3," accessed March 12, 2014
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 6," accessed March 12, 2014
  12. ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 7," accessed March 13, 2014
  13. ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 8," accessed March 13, 2014
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part IV, Section 41," accessed March 13, 2014
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Office of Elections Factsheet, "The Petition Process To Qualify a Political Party For Election Ballot Purposes in the State Of Hawaii," accessed November 7, 2013
  16. ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 6," accessed March 12, 2014
  17. ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 11, Part V, Section 62," accessed March 12, 2014
  18. ↑ Hawaii Constitution, "Article V, Sections 1 and 2," accessed November 7, 2013
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