Office of Elections

The deadline to submit party rules for qualified political parties is Thursday, February 19, 2026, 4:30 p.m.

All amendments to party rules must be filed no later than 4:30 pm on the 30th day after their adoption. All rules and amendments must be certified by an authorized officer of the party and will be public record once filed with the Office of Elections.

The deadline to submit the names and addresses of the officers of the central committee and of the respective county committees for qualified political parties is Thursday, February 19, 2026, 4:30 p.m.

Each qualified political party is entitled to appoint watchers to observe the conduct of the election at the voter service centers. There may be only one watcher per qualified political party in a voter service center at a time. A designated alternate watcher may relieve another watcher, as long as there is no more than one watcher per party in a voter service center. The deadline to submit the names of watchers to the respective Clerk’s Office is:

Primary Election: Saturday, July 18, 2026, 4:30 pm
General Election: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 4:30 pm

Watchers must be registered voters in the State of Hawaii. They may not interfere with the activities of any voter or election official. Watchers will be given identification stating their name and political party they represent. Any violations of election laws observed should be reported to the respective Clerk of the voter service center.

Political parties may designate official observers to serve as the “eyes and ears” of the public at the counting center. No less than one (1) official observer designated by a political party may be present at the counting center and additional official observers may be allowed as space and facility permit.

To remain a qualified political party for the next election, the party must have had a candidate running at the last general election for any statewide or U.S. Representative contest whose terms had expired. This does not include offices which were vacant because the incumbent had died or resigned before the end of the incumbent's term. The party must also meet one of the following to qualify as a political party for the next election:

• The party received at least ten percent (10%) of all votes cast for one of the following contests for an expired term: any statewide contest; U.S. Representative, District 1; U.S. Representative District II
• The party received at least four percent (4%) of all the votes cast for all state senate contests.
• The party received at least four percent (4%) of all the votes cast for all state representative contests.
• The party received at least two percent (2%) of all the votes cast for all state senate and state representative contests combined statewide.

If a party does not meet the qualifications, the party will be disqualified and a notice will be sent to the party by:

2024 Elections: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
2026 Elections: Wednesday, March 3, 2027

However, a party will remain qualified if it is operating under a ten (10) year period established through compliance with the requirements of HRS §11-62(d). Ten Year Provision: A political party having first qualified by petition under HRS §11-62 and having been qualified as a political party for three consecutive general elections by petition or meeting the vote requirements of HRS §11-61(b) shall be deemed a qualified political party for the following (10) year period assuming the party continues to field candidates for office.

Interested groups may petition to qualify as a political party for the 2026 Elections starting March 6, 2025. The petition must be issued by the Office of Elections and contain 861 signatures of currently registered voters in the State of Hawaii. This constitutes not less than one-tenth of one percent of the total registered voters of the state as of the 2024 General Election. In the 2024 General Election, there were 860,868 registered voters.

To request a petition, an Application for Petition to Qualify a Political Party must be submitted to the Office of Elections. Upon receipt of the completed application, the Office of Elections will issue the petition.

The deadline to file the petition is February 19, 2026, 4:30 pm and the petition must be accompanied by the following:

• Names and addresses of the officers of the central committee
• Names and addresses of the officers of the respective county committees
• Party rules

A voter may withdraw their signature from a petition, as long as the petition has not been filed. A notice must be submitted to the chief election officer that includes the voter’s name, residence address, the month and date portions of the voter’s date of birth, the voter’s signature, and a statement that the voter wishes to remove the voter’s signature from the petition. The chief election officer will notify the group or individual that the signature will not be counted.

An objection can be made by any political party or the chief election officer. The objection must be filed with the chief election officer no later than 4:30 pm on the 20th business day after the petition has been filed. The chief election officer may extend the objection period up to ten additional business days, if the group or persons desiring to qualify as a political party is provided with notice of extension and the reasons therefor. If no objection is raised, the petition will be approved. If an objection is made, any decision will be made no later than 4:30 pm on the 30th day after filing the objection or no later than 4:30 pm on the 100th day prior to the primary election, whichever occurs first.