Hawaiʻi’s primary election is Aug. 8, the only state to hold its regular primary election on a Saturday.
The state’s two congressional seats are at the top of the ballot followed by the governor and lieutenant governor, which are statewide seats. All 51 state House seats will be on the ballot and 14 of the 25 Senate seats are up this year. More than half the seats on the board of trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs are up for grabs along with dozens of city and county council positions.
We’ll be sending questionnaires to all the candidates in every race and will publish those in our Candidate Q&A section as they come in. Readers have found those to be invaluable when they sit down to fill out their ballots.
We’ll also be covering as many races as we can, including stories on candidates, their campaigns and finances and of course any breaking news and political twists. There’s sure to be plenty this year with hot races for lieutenant governor, the Maui mayor, the Kauaʻi mayor and at least one congressional contest. Look for that in our Elections 2026 section.
Important note: Some county council and OHA races will not appear on your primary ballot either because there is only one candidate in the race or there are only two candidates who both automatically advance to the general in November. These include the race for Honolulu City Council District 6, seats in East Maui, West Maui, South Maui, Makawao-Haiku-Paia, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi and the races for the OHA Maui and Oʻahu seats.
Key Dates For The Hawaiʻi Primary
JUL 21
Voters receive their Primary Election mail ballot packet
JUL 27
Voter service centers open
AUG 1
Deadline to request an absentee ballot
AUG 8
Primary Election
