2026 Midterms State GuideHawaii
Hold on to your surf boards, poke, and plate lunches.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in Hawaii, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
A prayer for Hawaii
Father who filled the seas and formed their islands, guide Hawaii for its good and Your glory this November. Thank You for the privilege voters have to cast their vote for the good of their community. Sharpen their attention, help them see the ballot with Your eyes, and help them vote with both conviction and humility.
Read the whole prayerUpdated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you... the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your surf boards, poke, and plate lunches, and let’s get into it.
Hawaii at a glance
Hawaii votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, both U.S. House seats and two statewide ballot measures.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 26 (4:30 p.m.): Voter registration deadline by paper application.
- Governor
- 2 candidates
- U.S. House
- 2 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 2
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
Hawaii certifies the results
Results become official once Hawaii certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- Aug. 8primaries This date has passed.
- Oct. 16Registered voters receive ballot packets This date has passed.
- Oct. 20Voter Service Centers open in every county for in-person voting, same-day registration, and accessible voting. This date has passed.
- Oct. 26 (4:30 p.m.)Voter registration deadline by paper application. This date has passed.
- Oct. 27 (4:30 p.m.)Deadline to request absentee ballot address changes. This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day; polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; same-day registration still available; deadline for voted ballot to be received (not just postmarked). This date has passed.
What’s at stake
Hawaii residents are facing a tough housing crisis. 2026 data shows they experience the highest housing costs in the nation, leading residents to consider leaving the state, living in overcrowded homes, or falling into homelessness. Independent polling is a gap officials have pointed out for the state, but a 2024 poll found that 21% of residents ranked jobs and the economy as the #1 issue facing the state, followed by immigration (14%) and government leadership (14%).
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Hawaii is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 2 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 2 picked
Joshua GreenDemocratincumbent
Top priorities- Protecting SNAP, health care and workforce programs during disruptions to federal funding
- Strengthening Hawaii's energy grid and funding climate projects through the state's Green Fee
- Building nearly 50,000 affordable homes over the next decade across all income levels
- Top priorities
Gary CorderyRepublican- Providing cost-of-living relief by eliminating the General Excise Tax on food and medicine, freezing property taxes for kūpuna, and lowering school lunch costs for families
- Ending government corruption by creating a Government Transparency Office, requiring annual audits of government departments and public-private partnerships, and sending corruption cases directly to the Attorney General
- Preserving Hawaiian culture by renegotiating Hawaiian Homes Act terms, including blood quantum and land access, and teaching Hawaiian language and culture in all schools
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
Hawaii will elect two candidates to represent it in the U.S. House. Democrats are expected to hold both of those seats.
- Open seats
None
- Competitive districts
Neither of the Aloha State’s districts is considered competitive. Both are solidly Democrat, but candidates from both parties filed to run in both districts, so neither is guaranteed to either party. Still, the last time a Republican was elected to the U.S. House in Hawaii was in a 2010 special election.
Statewide ballot measures
2 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
When the governor appoints a judge, the state Senate has to review and vote on it. Right now, they have 30 days. This amendment gives them 60 days instead, but only for appointments made between April 1 and December 31, when the Senate isn't in regular session or is about to wrap up for the year.
Voting yessupports giving the state Senate 60 days instead of 30 to vote on judges the governor appoints between April 1 and December 31Voting noopposes this amendment, keeping the current 30-day windowThe amendment would let Hawaii counties issue a new type of bond to pay for housing-related infrastructure (think: water lines, roads, etc.), with those bonds repaid through property taxes and excluded from the county's overall debt limit.
Voting yessupports letting counties issue a new type of bond for housing-related infrastructure like water lines and roads, repaid through property taxes and not counted toward the county's overall debt limitVoting noopposes the change, keeping housing infrastructure borrowing subject to the existing debt limit
Also on the ballot
Other races Hawaii voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- Office of Hawaiian Affairs (5 seats)
- State Senate
- State House
- Special state legislative
- Municipal government
- Local ballot measures
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in Hawaii?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
A prayer for Hawaii
Father who filled the seas and formed their islands, guide Hawaii for its good and Your glory this November. Thank You for the privilege voters have to cast their vote for the good of their community. Sharpen their attention, help them see the ballot with Your eyes, and help them vote with both conviction and humility.
May candidates campaign with integrity. Remind them that the office is not a mere prize to be won, but a profound responsibility to steward carefully. If they win, surround them with wise counsel and guide them toward decisions that serve their constituents. For those who lose, bring comfort and give them grace for their actions.
Draw near to islanders tempted toward anxiety, anger, or despair. Guard their hearts with a peace that this political moment cannot give. No candidate or ballot decision usurps Your sovereignty or thwarts Your good purposes.
Amen.