Civil Beat Guide: Politics And Elections In Hawaii In 2024
Here’s our overview of this year's elections including links to essential information, candidate positions and news stories. Check back frequently — we’ll be updating through Nov. 5.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the U.S. presidential election this year has become a global issue. People around the world are on edge over the consequential rematch between President Joe Biden — and, as of late July, the likely nominee Kamala Harris who is currently the vice president — and former President Donald Trump.
But all politics is local, a speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives once observed. While the number of candidates who filed to run in Hawaii’s 2024 elections is significantly lower than in recent years — and many incumbents face little or even no opposition — several hundred candidates will be on the ballot for the Aug. 10 primary. Review the full list here.
Voters will have the chance to elect one of the state’s two U.S. senators and both members of the U.S. House of Representatives. All 51 state House seats and 13 of the 25 Senate seats in the Hawaii Legislature are on the ballot.
There are nonpartisan county council races in all four counties, as well as mayoral contests in Honolulu and Hawaii County. A runoff is required if one mayoral candidate does not get more than 50% of the total votes cast in their particular race. Each county has its own system for determining which council candidates advance to the general election on Nov. 5.
And nonpartisan contests will be held for some of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board of trustees seats. OHA races also have provisions for runoffs.
The primary election is always the most important in Hawaii because the state is so heavily dominated by one political party — the Democrats. A number of the state-level races for the House and Senate will be decided in the primary.
Turnout And Voting
Hawaii has historically had one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country. That changed in 2020 when Hawaii implemented mail-in balloting statewide, which helped boost turnout.
Overall voter participation was the highest it had been since 1994, although it still lagged behind the tremendous turnout rates after statehood in 1959. It also dropped in the 2022 primary when elections officials reported a statewide turnout of about 39.6% of Hawaii’s registered voters.
The County Elections Divisions provide voter service centers that will be open 10 days prior to and on election day. Services include accessible in-person voting and same-day registration. And there are also drop box locations in all the counties.
Ballots for the primary are expected to begin arriving in the mail July 23. Completed ballots must be received by the County Elections Divisions by close of voting — 7 p.m. — on Aug. 10. Voter service centers and drop boxes also close at that time. Ballots being delivered to the drop box won’t be accepted after 7 p.m. — on the dot — but voters in line at 7 p.m. to cast ballots in person will still be able to vote.
This map from the state Office of Elections shows the locations of voting centers and drop boxes:
Voters are also able to register online to vote. The deadline to register to vote for the Aug. 10 primary using a paper application is July 31. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Aug. 3.
If you miss the deadline to register for the election, you can still walk in and register before and on election day (with proper ID or documentation of your residency) at Voter Service Centers, which will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays from July 29 through Aug. 10 for the primary.
The 2024 Primary Races
You can go to the state elections website to find the full list of candidates who will be on the primary ballot or use Civil Beat’s unofficial primary ballot where we will link to candidates’ Q&As, once they send it back to us. Some candidates will only be on the general election ballot, depending on how many others filed in their race. Others who have no opponent in the primary won’t even be on the general election ballot, having won their seat already.
No U.S. senator from Hawaii has ever lost reelection, and only one U.S. representative from Hawaii failed to get reelected. Incumbent Mazie Hirono faces two other Democrats in the primary, while former state Rep. Bob McDermott is among the six Republican candidates. There is also a nonpartisan candidate in the Senate race along with two third party candidates.
Republicans, a Democrat and a nonpartisan candidate seek to represent Hawaii in the 1st Congressional District (covering the greater Honolulu area), which is held by U.S. Rep. Ed Case, a Democrat running for reelection.
Democrat U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda is unopposed in the primary for the 2nd Congressional District (covering the rest of Oahu and all the neighbor islands). A Republican, a Libertarian and a nonpartisan candidate are running as well in the CD2 contest.
In the Hawaii Legislature, all 51 House seats are up, as representatives serve two-year terms. In the Senate, which has four-year terms, Districts 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23 and 24 are up this year. So is District 5, which was scheduled to be up two years from now but is on the ballot this year because the incumbent resigned and was replaced by appointment.
All of the seats on the seven-member Kauai County Council, the nine-member Hawaii County Council and the nine-member Maui County Council are up this year, as are five of the seats on the nine-member Honolulu City Council.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth each face several challengers. But the incumbent prosecuting attorneys for Honolulu, Kauai and the Big Island are unopposed.
Four of the nine seats on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees are up this year: one at-large seat and one seat each representing Oahu, Molokai and Kauai. Incumbents seeking reelection include Dan Ahuna, Luana Alapa and Kelii Akina. All registered voters statewide can vote in OHA elections.
There will two constitutional amendment questions on the general election ballot in 2024. All four counties are considering amendments to their respective governing charters, which will also be on the fall ballot.
Where To Find Out More
The Hawaii 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.
You can keep up with all of Civil Beat’s coverage as the election season progresses in our Hawaii Elections 2024 Guide.
Meanwhile, here are some other resources we’ve put together to help you through the 2024 elections:
Unofficial 2024 Primary Election Ballot: Our way to help you keep track of races and candidates in your district. We are once again sending out questionnaires to candidates, asking them to give us their positions on key issues that are particular to the office they’re running for. You will be able to find links to these Q&As on this page.
Hawaii Civics 101: Our series of short explainer videos helps you understand politics, government and democracy in the Aloha State.
Find Your Districts
This map from the state Office of Elections shows the congressional, senatorial, representative and council district boundaries for the City and County of Honolulu. Election maps for Hawaii County, Maui County, Kauai County are also available on the state’s website.
Track Your Ballot
Hawaii voters can enroll for ballot notifications ahead of the 2024 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 2024 elections. You can follow the money yourself on a number of online campaign and political sites:
Federal candidates and committees:
- Federal Election Commission
- OpenSecrets (National Institute on Money in Politics, the Center for Responsive Politics and the Campaign Finance Institute)
State candidates and committees, and financial disclosures:
- Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission
- Hawaii State Ethics Commission
- Civil Beat’s searchable Hawaii Financial Disclosures Database
Elections Offices Statewide
These offices oversee the elections in Hawaii:
Political Parties
- Democratic Party of Hawaii
- Hawaii Republican Party
- Libertarian Party of Hawaii
- The Green Party of Hawaii
- No Labels Hawaii
- Party for Socialism and Liberation
- Solidarity Party of Hawaii
- We The People
