2026 Elections Guide

Essential information, candidate positions, news stories and more.

Hawaiʻi voters will go to the polls on Nov. 3 along with the rest of the nation. But the ballot will be considerably smaller than in August when voters decided many races that now won’t appear on the general election ballot.

The state’s two congressional seats are still at the top of the ballot followed by the governor and lieutenant governor, which are statewide seats. In the Legislature, many seats were uncontested and others were won outright in the Aug. 8 primary, leaving 30 state House seats and five state Senate seats to be decided by voters in the general election. A sixth Senate seat, in Senate District 18 where Michelle Kidani retired earlier this year, will be decided on Nov. 3 in a special election concurrent with the general.

Also still to be decided in November are five seats on the board of trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, two Honolulu City Council districts, the Maui and Kauaʻi mayors’ positions, all seven Kauaʻi County Council seats, eight spots on the Maui council and three Big Island seats.

We’ll be making another push for candidates in every race to respond to our candidate surveys and we’ll continue to publish those in our Candidate Q&A section as they come in. They are also linked on our general election ballot, located in the tab above. Readers have found those to be invaluable when they sit down to fill out their ballots.

We’re covering as many races as we can, including stories on candidates, their campaigns and finances and of course any breaking news and political twists. Hot races still drawing a lot of attention — and campaign cash — include the Maui mayor and the Kauaʻi mayor plus a handful of legislative districts. Look for that in our Elections 2026 section.

Honolulu voters will also be asked to weigh in on 20 questions aimed at revamping the Honolulu City Charter, including whether to establish a ranked choice voting system, restrict police immigration enforcement actions, creating new city cultural offices, bolstering affordable housing policies and numerous other topics.

Maui voters also will have a number of ballot propositions to address. We’ll add more info on both Maui and Honolulu ballot measures to our general election ballot and our elections coverage section as it develops.

Key Dates For The Hawaiʻi General Election

Oct 16

Voters receive their General Election mail ballot packet

Oct 20

Voter service centers open

Oct 27

Deadline to request an absentee ballot

Nov 3

General Election

Where To Find Out More

The Hawaiʻi Office of Elections website is the best place to find basic information you need about the elections, including how and when to register, how to find your polling place and when you can begin casting your ballot.

Meanwhile, here are some other resources we’ve put together to help you through the 2026 elections:

Hawaiʻi’s 2026 elections are right around the corner and Civil Beat’s elections guide is here to help with essential information, candidate positions, news stories and more.

Find Your Districts

This map from the state Office of Elections shows the congressional, senatorial, representative and council district boundaries.

Track Your Ballot

Hawaiʻi voters can enroll for ballot notifications ahead of the 2026 elections. Voters who sign up will be notified about the status of their mail ballot either through text, email or a phone message.

Voters who choose not to sign up for ballot notifications will still be able to track their ballot by going to elections.hawaii.gov or by contacting their County Elections Division.

Voter Education

Get information and help from these organizations:

Campaign Finance Resources

Both the state and the federal government impose contribution limits when giving directly to candidates. Money has been flowing to candidates and political committees for the 2026 elections. You can follow the money yourself on a number of online campaign and political sites:

Federal Candidates and Committees:

State Candidates and Committees:

Elections Offices Statewide

These offices oversee the elections in Hawaiʻi:

Political Parties

Latest Stories

Dark Money Looms Over This Hawaiʻi Congressional Race
Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Dark Money Looms Over This Hawaiʻi Congressional Race

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda has been warning that outside money could flood into her race against Republican State Sen. Brenton Awa. He, too, says he’s wary of super PACs.

Hawaiʻi GOP Aims To Win More Seats And Fire Up Debate
Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Hawaiʻi GOP Aims To Win More Seats And Fire Up Debate

With an extra House seat, Republicans could force the majority party into painful floor votes on hot topics and hard-to-fix problems Democrats might rather avoid.

2026 Hawai’i Election: House District 42 Forum

2026 Hawai’i Election: House District 42 Forum

Hear their thoughts on gun reform, taxes, Oʻahu’s military presence and housing affordability in their district.

Fate Of Proposed Data And Innovation Office In O‘ahu Voters’ Hands
Christina Jedra/Civil Beat/2023

Fate Of Proposed Data And Innovation Office In O‘ahu Voters’ Hands

The proposal will be one of 20 ballot measures for Honolulu voters to weigh.

High Court Rejects Plea For Hawaiʻi State Senate Rematch
David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

High Court Rejects Plea For Hawaiʻi State Senate Rematch

Kurt Fevella had asked the court to reconsider the tiebreaker that declared Bob McDermott the GOP primary winner.

2026 Hawai’i Election: House District 39 Forum

2026 Hawai’i Election: House District 39 Forum

Candidates share their take on publicly funded campaigns, school reform, Skyline, food insecurity in schools and more.

Hawaiʻi Voting Groups Cheer As High Court Rejects Trump Mail Ballot Restrictions
AP Photo/Jenny Kane

Hawaiʻi Voting Groups Cheer As High Court Rejects Trump Mail Ballot Restrictions

The decision allows Hawaiʻi and other states to continue sending mail ballots under existing processes. Trump wanted restrictions before the November elections. 

Anything But Easter Eggs: How Hawaiʻi Could Settle Tied Elections
Hawaii News Now

Anything But Easter Eggs: How Hawaiʻi Could Settle Tied Elections

Flip a coin, pick a card, draw straws — do anything except use plastic eggs and a lauhala basket, the state’s high court suggests.

Lee Cataluna: Sometimes The Best Campaign Ad Is No Campaign Ad
Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Lee Cataluna: Sometimes The Best Campaign Ad Is No Campaign Ad

Natural disasters can be perilous for politicians. In Kauaʻi, Derek Kawakami is using Lowell to his advantage, without making it seem that way.

Maui County Boards Ground To A Halt. Voters Could Change That
Erin Nolan/Civil Beat/2026

Maui County Boards Ground To A Halt. Voters Could Change That

Voters on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi will decide on charter amendments aimed at reducing vacancies on panels designed to tackle crucial local issues.