It is no exaggeration to say that the US presidential election has become a global issue this year, with people around the world on edge about the face-off between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
But politics is always local, a speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives once noted. While the number of candidates running for the 2024 election in Hawaii is significantly lower than in recent years, several important races are on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election.
Voters will have the opportunity to elect one of the state’s two U.S. senators and both members of the U.S. House of Representatives. And while many races have already been decided in the August 10 primary, eight Senate seats and 35 House seats are on the ballot in the general election.
Three counties are having nonpartisan races for County Council seats (in Honolulu, all races, including the mayoralty, were decided in the primary election), and Hawaii County is having a runoff election for mayor.
There will also be a bipartisan election campaign for three seats on the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
The 2024 Hawaii elections are just around the corner and Civil Beat’s election guide is here to help with essential information, candidate positions, news reports and more.
Voter turnout and voting
Hawaii has historically had one of the lowest voter turnouts in the country.
This changed somewhat in 2020, when Hawaii introduced statewide mail-in voting, which contributed to higher voter turnout.
However, voter turnout in this year’s primary was lower than at any time since Hawaii became a state.
Submitting your mail-in ballot in Hawaii
County election departments provide election service centers that are open 10 days before and on Election Day. Services include in-person voting and same-day registration. There are also drop box locations in all counties.
Most ballots for the general election are expected to be mailed by Oct. 18. Completed ballots must be received by county election departments by the end of the voting period on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m., which is also when ballot service centers and drop boxes close. Ballots dropped in the drop box will not be accepted after 7 p.m. — promptly — but voters in line to cast their ballot in person at 7 p.m. will still be able to vote.
Register to vote or request a mail-in ballot.
Voters can also register to vote online. The deadline to register for the November 5 general election using a paper application is October 28. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is October 29.
If you miss the deadline to register to vote, you can still register before and on Election Day (with a valid ID or proof of residency) at Voter Service Centers, which are open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from October 22 to November 5.
The 2024 races
Civil Beat’s unofficial general election ballot includes links to candidates’ questions and answers as soon as they return them to us.
No U.S. Senator from Hawaii has ever lost re-election, and only one U.S. Representative from Hawaii was not re-elected. Incumbent Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono is running against Republican Bob McDermott, as well as candidates from the Green Party and We The People party.
In the 1st Congressional District (which includes the greater Honolulu area), Democratic incumbent Ed Case is being challenged by Republican Patrick Largey.
In the 2nd Congressional District (which includes the rest of Oahu and all neighboring islands), Democratic incumbent Jill Tokuda is being challenged by Republican Steve Bond and Libertarian Aaron Toman.
In Hawaii’s parliament, 35 seats in the House of Representatives and eight seats in the Senate are up for election.
All seats on the seven-member Kauai County Council, three on the nine-member Hawaii County Council and eight on the nine-member Maui County Council are up for election. However, the Honolulu City Council seats were all decided in the primary election.
While Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi won the primary, Hawaii County will face a runoff election between Mayor Mitch Roth and challenger Kimo Alameda.
Three of the nine seats on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees are up for election in November, including one seat for all members and one seat each for Molokai and Kauai. Incumbents running for re-election include Dan Ahuna, Luana Alapa and Kelii Akina. All registered voters statewide can vote in OHA elections.
Two constitutional amendment questions will be on the ballot in the 2024 general election. All four counties are considering amendments to their respective charters of government, which will also be on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Find out more here
The best place to find basic election information is the Hawaii Elections Office website, including information on how and when to register, how to find your polling place, and when you can start voting.
You can follow all of Civil Beat’s coverage throughout the election season in our 2024 Hawaii Election Guide.
In the meantime, here are some other resources to help you with the 2024 election:
Unofficial ballot paper for the 2024 parliamentary elections: Here’s how to keep an eye on the races and candidates in your district. We again sent questionnaires to candidates, asking them to tell us their positions on key issues relevant to the office they’re running for. Links to those questions and answers are on this page.
Hawaiian Civics 101: Our series of short explainer videos will help you understand politics, government and democracy in the Aloha State.
Find your districts
This map from the State Board of Elections shows the boundaries of congressional, senatorial, representative and council districts for the city and county of Honolulu. Election maps for Hawaii County, Maui County and Kauai County are also available on the state website.
Track your ballot
Voters in Hawaii can sign up for ballot notifications before the 2024 election. Voters who sign up will be notified of the status of their absentee ballot via either text message, email or phone message.
Voters who do not sign up for ballot notifications can still track their ballot by visiting elections.hawaii.gov or contacting their county election office.
Voter education
Get information and help from these organizations:
Campaign finance resources
Both the state and federal governments set donation limits for direct donations to candidates. Funds have already been given to candidates and political committees for the 2024 election. You can track the donations yourself on a number of online campaign and political sites:
Federal candidates and committees:
State candidates and committees and financial disclosures:
Elected offices across the state
These offices oversee elections in Hawaii:
