How to vote in Hawaiʻi
Fill out your ballot at your own kitchen table, or show up and vote in person. Both are quick, and both count the same.
Three quick questions and we'll walk you through exactly what to do.
Which island are you on?
On Niʻihau? You vote through Kauaʻi County — pick Kauaʻi.
Are you registered to vote at your current address?
This matters more than anything else on this page. Your ballot is mailed to the address on your registration, and by law ballots can't be forwarded — even if you set up mail forwarding with the post office.
How do you want to vote?
Hawaiʻi gives every voter both options, every election. Pick whichever fits your life. It counts exactly the same either way.
Voting on
Watch your mailbox
The packet has three things: your ballot, a secrecy sleeve, and a postage-paid return envelope. You don't need a stamp.
Pick your candidates — but only from ONE party
Being a Moho ʻĀina means caring about the person, not the party - but in order to elect enough Moho ʻĀina to change the rules, we need to make sure our votes count.
The primary ballot shows every party's section. Pick one party and vote only for candidates in that party's section. If you vote for people from different parties, none of the votes count (HRS §12-31).
OHA and County races have no party, so you can vote for whoever there no matter what.
Use a blue or black pen. Made a mistake? Don't use white-out — ask your county for a replacement ballot (contact below).
Before you move on, type this so we know it stuck:
"I will only vote for one party"
Sign the return envelope
Your packet comes with a secrecy sleeve — a plain paper folder whose only job is to keep your choices hidden from anyone who handles your envelope along the way. Slide your finished ballot into the sleeve, put the sleeve inside the return envelope, and seal it. Then sign the outside of the envelope.
That signature is the most important 5 seconds of the whole thing.
Your signature is how the county verifies it's you. An unsigned envelope means your ballot can't be counted. (If something's off, the county will contact you and you get 5 business days after the election to fix it.)
Send it in — three ways
However you return it, your ballot must be received by 7:00 PM on . A postmark does not count.
📮 Mail it back — by
🗳️ Drop it in an official ballot drop box
Locations can change — the official live list and map is at elections.hawaii.gov.
🏛️ Vote in person at a Voter Service Center
Prefer voting in person, need an accessible voting machine, lost your ballot, or still need to register? Voter Service Centers do all of it — including same-day registration — right up to 7:00 PM on election day.
Make sure it counted
Track your ballot like a package at hawaii.ballottrax.net — sign up once and you'll get a text or email when your ballot is mailed to you, when the county receives it, and when it's accepted. It also warns you if there's a signature problem so you can fix it in time.
Pick your voting site
In-person voting happens at your county's Voter Service Centers. Any of them works — go to whichever is easiest.
Show up — it's quick
No appointment, and most voters don't need to bring anything — staff confirm your name, birth date, and address. Not registered yet? They'll register you on the spot, same day, right through election day. Accessible voting machines are at every site.
Only exception: if this is your very first vote and you registered by mail without a Hawaiʻi ID or SSN on file, bring a photo ID or a document with your name and address.
Pick your candidates — but only from ONE party.
You'll pick one party's section and vote only for candidates in it. If you vote for people from different parties, none of the votes count (HRS §12-31). OHA and County races have no party, so you can vote for whoever there no matter what.
On election day, sites are open 7:00 AM–7:00 PM — and if you're in line at 7:00, you still get to vote.
Heads up: a ballot packet will still show up in your mailbox
Every voter can only ever have one ballot counted — the system checks. So the mailed packet is just your backup: if plans change, you can fill it out, sign the envelope, and hand-deliver it to an official drop box instead ( — see the official map at elections.hawaii.gov).
That's it — your vote counts on the spot
When you vote in person, your ballot goes straight into the count — nothing to track, nothing to mail. (If you end up using the mailed ballot instead, you can follow it at hawaii.ballottrax.net.)
One more thing
You know how to vote. Now help us win.
Voting is the first step. Electing enough Moho ʻĀina to change the rules takes people power - a couple hours of talk story and reaching voters alongside your Moho ʻĀina. Come see what our events are like.
See upcoming events →Common questions
Stuck on anything?
Moho ʻĀina: (808) 435-4616 — call or text us, a real person will help you figure it out
State Office of Elections: (808) 453-VOTE (8683)
Nonpartisan voter help line (Election Protection): 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Sources: Hawaiʻi Office of Elections and county elections divisions, 2026 official lists (as of July 2026). Always trust elections.hawaii.gov if anything differs.
We’ll remind you when ballots drop and before the deadlines — that’s it. Only Moho ʻĀina sees this.
You’re on the list. We’ll remind you when it’s time.
Find the one closest to you
▼ Voter Service Center · ● ballot drop box — tap any pin for hours and directions. Locations sync daily from the State Office of Elections official map.