Hawaiʻi voter guide: Here's what to know about the 2024 election
Coverage of this story has ended. Please find the latest results here.
Hawaiʻi residents are making their picks for mayor on Hawaiʻi Island, several state Legislature and county council seats, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and three positions in the congressional delegation.
Hawaiʻi is one of the nation’s most reliably blue states, with Democrats dominating federal and statewide elected offices. Joe Biden won 63.7% of the vote in 2020, while Donald Trump won 34.3%.
On the federal level, U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda won their races in the Democratic Party's primary election and will face Republican challengers. Sen. Brian Schatz is up for reelection in 2026.
Former state Rep. Bob McDermott beat five lesser-known candidates for the Republican nomination for Hirono's Senate seat. Case's Republican challenger, Patrick Largey, ran unopposed in the primary — as did Tokuda and her Republican challenger, Steve Bond. Case represents urban Honolulu while Tokuda covers the rest of Oʻahu and the neighbor islands.
On the state level, incumbents and newcomers are vying for about half of the 25 state Senate districts, with the remaining districts up for reelection in 2026. All 51 state House districts have elections every two years. Democrats hold overwhelming supermajorities in both chambers.
Several incumbents, such as Democratic state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole of Kāneʻohe and Republican state Rep. Gene Ward of Hawaiʻi Kai, were unopposed.
Longtime House Speaker Scott Saiki lost his Democratic Party primary election to Kim Coco Iwamoto, a former state Board of Education member who campaigned on tackling corruption in government. With no Republican challenger, Iwamoto has won the seat outright.
Saiki has been the speaker since 2017 and a state representative for three decades. He narrowly beat back two previous attempts by Iwamoto to unseat him in 2022 and 2020. When the Legislature reconvenes in January, representatives will need to choose a new speaker.
For the following nonpartisan races, the top two winners advanced to the general election if the top candidate did not receive over 50% of the votes in that specific primary race.
On Oʻahu, Mayor Rick Blangiardi secured reelection in the primary by receiving 78% of the vote. His main opponent, Choon James, received 13%.
On Hawaiʻi Island, Mayor Mitch Roth did not secure enough votes in the primary election to win outright. He will face Kimo Alameda in the general election on Nov. 5.
Island by island, voters also voiced their support for councilmembers on the Hawaiʻi County, Maui County and Kauaʻi County councils, as well as for five districts of the Honolulu City Council.
At the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, one at-large and three island resident seats have elections this year. Former U.S. Rep. Kaialiʻi Kahele secured enough votes in the primary election to win outright the race to represent Hawaiʻi Island on the Board of Trustees.
In the crowded primary for the at-large seat, incumbent Keliʻi Akina was the top vote-getter with former trustee Lei Ahu Isa trailing behind. They move forward to the general election.
For the district of Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, incumbent Luana Alapa will face Kunani Nihipali. Alapa received just under the 50% required to win the seat outright. For Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, incumbent Dan Ahuna is up against Laura Lindsey.
Key dates to remember:
Friday, Oct. 18- General election ballots arrive in mailboxes.Tuesday, Oct. 22-Voter service centers openfor same-day registration and in-person voting.Monday, Oct. 28- Final day for first-time voters to submit apaper registration applicationfor the general election. Voters can still register online or in person at a voter service center.Tuesday, Oct. 29- Deadline for registered voters who are out of state tosubmit an absentee applicationto have their ballot mailed to an alternate mailing address.Tuesday, Nov. 5- Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Voter resources and important links:
- Register to vote or check if you are registered. You can also call 808-453-VOTE or toll-free 800-442-VOTE from the neighbor islands.
- Track your ballot with BallotTrax
- Want to know who you're voting for? Look up the candidates running to represent your area
- Find a voter service center or ballot drop box
- Kauaʻi County Elections Division
- City and County of Honolulu Elections Division
- Maui County Elections Division
- Hawaiʻi County Elections Division
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The leaders of each political party in the House and Senate currently get to appoint four commissioners. Rep. Adrian Tam introduced a measure that would require the Senate to confirm the nominated commissioners. -
Lawmakers are considering a measure to instead have people opt out of being registered to vote versus having to opt in. -
The use of mail ballots exploded in 2020 as states looked for ways to accommodate voters during the COVID-19 pandemic. But a consistent problem has surfaced since then: Hundreds or even thousands of ballots being rejected because the signatures on the return envelope don't match the ones on file. -
In the November election, former South Maui Councilmember Kelly King lost to incumbent Tom Cook by just 97 votes. King and a group of 30 voters filed a lawsuit challenging the results. This week, the Hawai’i Supreme Court upheld the election results and denied King's request for a new election. -
The nine-member council officially selected Holeka Goro Inaba as its chair. He said his primary role as chair is to make sure that council hearings operate “in the most efficient, respectful and effective manner.” -
Former Maui County Council Chair Kelly King along with 30 other voters are contesting the general election following her loss to Tom Cook. She wants to see the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court invalidate the results and order a new election.
