A general election in Hawaii is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, with a primary scheduled for August 8, 2026. Officers for various federal, state, and local positions will be elected.[1]
The candidate filing period begins February 2, 2026 and ends June 2, 2026.[2]
Organizations seeking to become qualified political parties must submit petitions with 861 signatures by February 19, 2026, to qualify for the ballot.[3]
There is currently one ballot measure certified to be on the ballot as of May 30, 2025.
Increase Time for Senate to Act on Judicial Appointments Amendment
November3,2026(2026-11-03)
Increase Time for Senate to Act on Judicial Appointments Amendment
Note: 50% of all ballots cast must be in favor of the amendment in order for it to pass, with blank ballots acting as "no" votes.
SB 121, or the Increase Time for Senate to Act on Judicial Appointments Amendment would increase the time the Hawaii Senate has to approve or reject a judicial appointment from 30 days to 60 days, if the appointment was made between April 1 and December 31. Under current law, any judicial appointment not acted upon by the Senate is automatically confirmed. [4]Typically, the Senate is in session from January to early May, so if the Senate wants to review a judicial nominee after May, a special session is required to convene.[5]
Local elections
Local elections in Hawaii are nonpartisan. Every county with its own government has voted to make their elections nonpartisan, beginning with Honolulu County in 1992 and ending with Hawaii County in 2000.[6]Kalawao has no county government.[7]
Hawaii County
Hawaii County will hold a county council election in 2026.
County council
All nine members of the county council are up for election. Council members in Hawaii County serve 2-year terms.
Honolulu County
Honolulu County, a consolidated city-county, will hold a county council election in 2026. Mayoral elections in the county take place on presidential election years.
County council
Four of the nine county council districts are up for election in 2026 (2, 4, 6, and 8).[8] Council members in Honolulu County serve staggered 4-year terms.
Kauaʻi County will hold a mayoral election and a county council election in 2026.
Mayor
Two-term incumbent Democratic mayor Derek Kawakami is barred from seeking a third consecutive term due to term limits. Former mayor Bernard Carvalho and incumbent county council chairman Mel Rapozo have both announced their intention to run.[9]
County council
All seven seats of the county council are up for election in 2026.[10] Four seats are open, as two incumbent councilors are running for mayor and two are barred due to term limits.[9] Council members in Kauaʻi County serve 2-year terms.
Maui County
Maui County will hold a mayoral election and a county council election in 2026.
Mayor
The incumbent mayor of Maui County is Richard Bissen, first elected in 2022.
County council
All nine seats of the county council are up for election in 2026. Council members in Maui County serve 2-year terms.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
