Voting & Elections Toolkits 2022

Deadline

• Voter registration deadlines are determined by the date of the election.
• July 9, 2020 is the registration deadline for the 2020 primary election.
• October 5, 2020 is the registration deadline for the 2020 general election.
• Registration Guidelines
• Election Calendar
• Hawai‘i offers election-day registration at designated sites

Online registration

To use the online voter registration system you must have a current and valid Hawai‘i Driver's license or Hawai‘i state ID.

Online registration form (in English, Chinese and Ilocano)

Mail-in registration

Printable forms (in English, Chinese and Ilocano)

Refer to the box below for information about ID requirements.

Choosing a political party   

You are not required to choose a political party affiliation when registering to vote.            

Updating registration      

To update registration after a move, name change, or change of political party affiliation, use the voter registration form.

Cancelling registration

The Clerk's office in each town maintains the voter rolls. To remove someone from a voter roll, contact the local Clerk's office.

Voting

Voting by Mail

"Act 136, SLH 2019 implements all elections be conducted by mail. The law removes using polling places where voters cast their ballots on election day, and instead a ballot is automatically mailed to registered voters."

In Person Voting

"Vote in-person by visiting any voter service center in your county. Voter service centers are open 10 days through Election Day for in-person voting, same day registration and accessible voting."

More information on voting by mail

Provisional Voting

A provisional ballot is used:

• Voter’s name does not appear on the official list of registered voters; or
• An election official asserts that the voter is not eligible to vote.

Fail-Safe Voting

"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, by the following deadlines:

Primary Election: August 11, 2020
General Election: November 5, 2020"

More Information on provisional voting

Where to get an ID

IDs are issued by the County Department of Motor Vehicles

• More information on obtaining IDs

Obtaining a Driver’s License

• More information on obtaining a license

Absentee voting

Opening/closing dates

• Absentee ballots are mailed to the voter's mailing address.  A ballot packet will arrive approximately 18 days before the election.
• Absentee ballots may be returned by mail, or in person at ta designated place of deposit.  Ballots must be received by the clerk's office by 7PM on election day.
  • Mail - voters should mail their completed ballot 203 days before the election.
  • Voter Service Center - voters may visit any voter service center within their county to drop off ballots.
  • Clerk's Office - ballots may be returned directly to their clerk's office.

Military voters and voters who reside outside the U.S.

• Overseas ballots must be received by the Town Clerk by the close of the polls on election day in order to be counted.

Who is eligible to use an absentee ballot?

The State of Hawai‘i passed Act 136, SLH 2019, implementing elections by mail beginning with the 2020 Elections.

All properly registered voters will automatically receive a mail ballot packet approximately 18 days prior to the election.

To update mailing address use registration form (English, Chinese or Ilocano)

Polling places and hours

• Use the Polling Place Locator or the Hawaii locator to find your polling place.
• For a general election or primary, polls in Hawai‘i are generally open 7AM to 6PM on election day
• Time off to vote: Hawai‘i does not require employers to give employees time off to vote.

Rides to the polls

Many organizations offer free rides to polling places. Some of these include:

• Lyft provides free or discounted rides in some underserved communities
• Political parties sometimes arrange rides for voters. Contact the local office:
  • Republican Party
  • Democratic Party

Help for voters with disabilities

• Information for Voters Requiring Assistance

Who are the candidates, and what else is on the ballot?

• Town-by-town sample ballots
• Candidate Manual (PDF)

Important Dates

Election Day is November 3, 2020

Dates of municipal elections can be found in the State Register and Manual

Who conducts elections?

• The County Election Divisions are responsible for conducting elections.
• The Hawai‘i Office of Elections is responsible for candidate filing, printing and counting of ballots.
• Clerk's offices are responsible for voter registration, mailing and receipt of ballots, places of deposit and voter service centers.

Election Laws

Hawaii election laws

Where to go with complaints about candidates or how elections are conducted

The Hawai‘i Office of Elections should be contacted "by any person who believes that there is a violation of provision of title III of the Help America Vote Act, including violations which have occurred, are occurring, or about to occur."

Campaign finance

Hawai‘i Campaign Spending Commission provides access to candidates’ election committee and Political Action Committee campaign finance filings

How to contact your elected officials:

Find your elected officials