2026 Midterms State GuideHawaii
Hold on to your grass skirts and coconuts.
- PrimaryStatewideAugust 8This date has passed.
- Election DayGeneralNov. 3
Updated
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 grass skirts and coconuts, 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: Voter registration deadline by paper application.
- Governor
- 3 candidates
- U.S. House
- 2 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 2
Your to-do list
0 of 3 doneImportant dates
- Sept. 18Deadline for county elections divisions to mail ballots to overseas and military (UOCAVA) voters. This date has passed.
- Oct. 16Hawaii mails a ballot packet to every registered voter automatically.
- Oct. 20 to Nov. 3Voter Service Centers open in every county for in-person voting, same-day registration, and accessible voting.
- Oct. 26Voter registration deadline by paper application.
- Oct. 27Deadline to request an absentee ballot be sent to an alternate mailing address.
- Nov. 3Election Day.
- Nov. 3Deadline to return a voted ballot. Must be received (not postmarked).
What’s at stake
Hawaiians are facing a tough housing crisis. 2026 data shows that Hawaii residents 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 Hawaiians 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- Building Hawaiʻi’s long-term resilience by taking swift action to protect SNAP programs and healthcare for Hawaiʻi families, as well as addressing workforce needs, during disruptions to federal funding.
- Prioritizing energy resilience by laying the foundation for ambitious decarbonization goals and climate change mitigation projects funded by the historic Green Fee while strengthening Hawai‘i’s energy grid.
- Delivering housing for local families by developing nearly 50,000 affordable units over the next decade across all income brackets, to deliver homes for local families.
- Top priorities
Gary CorderyRepublican- Providing cost-of-living relief by eliminating the General Excise Tax (GET) on food and medicine, freezing property taxes for Kūpuna at retirement and on their primary residence, creating tax exemptions for Native Hawaiian homeowners, and ensuring nutritious school lunches for the keiki of Hawai'i while reducing the cost for families.
- Ending government corruption by establishing a Government Transparency Office to make spending, contracts, and decisions visible to the public; requiring annual audits of all public-private partnerships and government departments; and forwarding all corruption cases directly to the Attorney General for swift action.
- Preserving Hawaiian culture by forming a Hawaiian-led, deadline-oriented action group for justice and transparency; renegotiating Hawaiian Homes Act terms, addressing blood quantum, land rights, and fairness in access; advancing reconciliation through actionable, measurable policies; and integrating Hawaiian language & cultural education into all schools statewide.
- Bu La’ia HillNonpartisan
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 them in the U.S. House. Democrats are expected to hold both of those seats.
- Open seats
None
- Competitive districts
Cook doesn’t rank either district competitive. Both are solidly Democrat, and candidates from both parties filed to run in both districts, so neither was guaranteed to either party. The last time a Republican was elected to the U.S. House in Hawaii was in a special election in 2010.
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.