Election administration in Hawaii

Election Information
Voter registration
Early voting
Absentee/mail-in voting
All-mail voting
Voter ID laws
State poll opening and closing times
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies and methods of enforcing them. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.

THE BASICS

Hawaii permits online voter registration.

Hawaii conducts its elections almost exclusively by mail.

In Hawaii, voter service centers are open until 7:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time.

Hawaii holds open primary elections.

Hawaii has tools for verifying voter registration.

Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Hawaii:

• Poll times
• Voter registration
• Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy
• Voter identification requirements
• Provisional ballot rules
• Primary election type
• Time off work for voting
• Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

• Voter list maintenance
• Post-election auditing
• Election policy ballot measures
• Election policy legislation
• Ballot access
• Redistricting
• Election administration agencies

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

As of 2019, Hawaii is an all-mail voting state, which means that its elections are conducted almost exclusively by mail. There are voter service centers open for ten business days prior to each election until 7:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time to receive personal delivery of mail-in ballots, accommodate voters with special needs, offer same-day registration and voting, and provide other election services.

Voter registration

Check your voter registration status here.

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. The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before an election. Registration can be completed in the following ways:

“

Online: Visit olvr.hawaii.gov. You must have a current Hawaii Driver’s License or State ID to complete an application online. Mail: Print & submit a completed Voter Registration Application to your Clerk’s Office. In-person: Visit the Office of Elections or your Clerk’s Office to submit an application in person. Applications are available at any of the following locations: 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.Hawaii adopted same-day registration in 2014; implementation occurred in 2018.

Automatic registration

Hawaii does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Hawaii has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Hawaii allows same-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.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Hawaii does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.

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.

Early and mail-in voting policy

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Since it is an all-mail voting state, Hawaii permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Mail-in voting

See also: All-mail voting

Hawaii conducts its elections by mail. All eligible voters automatically receive mail ballots, which must be returned election officials by close of polls on Election Day.

Returning mail-in ballots

See also: Mail ballot collection and return laws by state

Mail-in ballots can be returned by mail or delivered to the voter’s local clerk’s office or a voter service center/designated place of deposit. Voted ballots must be received by close of polls on Election Day.

Voter identification requirements

See also: Voter ID in Hawaii

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Voters in Hawaii are not generally required to present identification while voting. In 2019, the statute requiring voters to present identification if so requested by a precinct official was repealed.

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.

Background

As of August 2023, 34 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 23 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.

Provisional ballot rules

Voters in Hawaii are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances.

1) If the "[v]oter’s name does not appear on the official list of registered voters," the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

2) If "[a]n election official asserts that the voter is not eligible to vote," the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

3) "A fail-safe voter is a person who is a first-time voter who has mailed the voter registration application and has not provided the required HAVA identification either at the time of registration, at the polling place, or when returning a voted absentee ballot. In such a situation, the voter is able to submit a provisional ballot."

• "The voter must provide the Clerk’s Office acceptable identification for the ballot to be counted."

In each of the above circumstances, the voter must complete a written affirmation stating that the voter is "a registered voter in the jurisdiction in which the individual desires to vote" and "eligible to vote in that election."

According to the Hawaii Office of Elections’ website, "The Clerk’s Office will determine if a provisional ballot is to be counted in accordance with State Law. The voter will be able to verify if the ballot did or did not count, and the reason why it was not counted, by calling a toll-free number provided or through the Office of Elections website."

A provisional ballot is rejected in the following circumstances:

• If any part of the provisional ballot application form or affirmation statement is incomplete or inaccurate; or

• If the county clerk determines that the voter is ineligible to vote in the precinct where the provisional ballot was cast.

Local election officials

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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.

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Primary election type

See also: Primary elections in Hawaii

A primary 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 an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Time off work for voting

Gov. David Ige (D) signed Act 136 on June 25, 2019, creating a vote by mail system. Act 136 also repealed the state's time off work for voting law. The repealed law entitled employees to two consecutive hours of time off work to vote, with fines from $50 to $300 imposed upon employers for refusal to comply. Under the old law, employers could deduct pay from an employee if the employee did not use the time off for voting.

As of 2020, 28 states had laws requiring employers to provide time off for voting under certain conditions.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

In Hawaii, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights after the incarceration stipulated by their sentence; people on probation or parole enjoy full voting rights.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.

Voter list maintenance

All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.

When names can be removed from the voter list

Hawaii law authorizes election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:

• Dies,
• Does not vote in two consecutive general elections,
• Is adjudicated as incapacitated,
• Makes a written request asking to be removed from the voter registration list,
• Has mail sent to them by a state or county election officials and the mail is returned as undeliverable, or
• Is convicted of committing a felony.

Inactive voter list rules

State law outlines the following process by which election officials may contact voters and either remove or maintain their name on the official voter registration list:

“

The clerk shall also identify or remove the name of any registered voter, if the clerk, after mailing a notice or other correspondence, properly addressed, with postage prepaid, receives the notice or other correspondence as return mail with a postal notation that the notice or other correspondence was not deliverable.

”

The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

See also: Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records, to provide member states with detailed reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Each state pays annual dues, which are determined by a formula approved by the ERIC membership. The formula includes a state's citizen voting age population as a factor."

By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of August 2023, 26 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.

As of April 2023, Hawaii was participatingin the ERIC program.

Post-election auditing

Hawaii state law requires post-election audits. The chief election official and a bipartisan group of people audit 10% of precincts using the electronic voting system. "If discrepancies occur, the chief election official conducts an expanded audit and to the extent possible resolves misreporting problems." The audit must be completed before the election is certified.

Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.

Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.

As of December 2023, 41 states and the District of Columbia required some form of post-election audit. Of these, 36 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, three states required risk-limiting post-election audits, and two states required procedural post-election audits.

Election policy ballot measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot and List of Hawaii ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Hawaii.

1. Hawaii Candidate Resignation, Amendment 5 (1978)
2. Hawaii Campaign Finance, Amendment 6 (1978)
3. Hawaii Unopposed Candidate Primary Elections, Amendment 3 (1988)
4. Hawaii Primary Election Voting, Amendment 11 (1968)
5. Hawaii Regarding Executive Positions, Amendment 15 (1968)

Recent legislation related to election administration in Hawaii

The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session 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. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker

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The Ballot Bulletin

The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.

Ballot access

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Hawaii

A cardboard ballot box at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

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).

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Hawaii

"Gerrymandering"

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Hawaii's two United States Representatives and 76 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Hawaii was apportioned 2 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Hawaii after the 2020 census.

HIGHLIGHTS

Following the 2020 United States Census, Hawaii was apportioned two congressional districts, which was unchanged from the number it had after the 2010 census.

Hawaii's House of Representatives is made up of 51 districts; Hawaii's State Senate is made up of 25 districts.

In Hawaii, a nine-member politician commission draws both congressional and state legislative district lines.

State process

See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures

In Hawaii, a nine-member commission draws both congressional and state legislative 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. If the commission is unable to reach an agreement on a ninth member, the Hawaii Supreme Court must make the appointment.

Both congressional and state legislative district boundaries must be contiguous and compact. In addition, where possible, district lines "must follow permanent and easily recognized features ... and coincide with census tracts." In addition, "districts must also avoid submerging one area in another with substantially different predominant socioeconomic interests." No district can be drawn "to unduly favor a person or political faction."

State law permits state legislative districts to be multimember, but a maximum of four representatives can be elected from a single district.

Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Hawaii can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Hawaii County Election Divisions

Click here for a list

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

http://hawaii.gov/elections/

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Telephone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

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Democratic primaries 2024

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Republican primaries 2024

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See also

• 2024 election dates and deadlines
• Voting in Hawaii
• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Hawaii
• Redistricting in Hawaii

Elections in Hawaii

• Hawaii elections, 2023
• Hawaii elections, 2022
• Hawaii elections, 2021
• Hawaii elections, 2020
• Hawaii elections, 2019
• Hawaii elections, 2018
• Hawaii elections, 2017
• Hawaii elections, 2016
• Hawaii elections, 2015
• Hawaii elections, 2014

External links

• Hawaii Office of Elections