Hawaii

Election Day 

On Election Day, voter service center locations will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m local time. 

Early Voting

Hawaii allows mail-in ballots and early in-person voting at voting service centers. Voters can find a list of voting service center locations and hours by visiting here.

How to Find Your Polling Place 

Hawaii will not have traditional polling places for the General Election. You can identify your polling location (voter service center) by calling 1-808-453-VOTE (8683) or looking it up online.

Registration Deadlines 

You must register to vote at least thirty days before the election (October 5, 2020 for the General Election).  However, same day registration is available at voter service center locations October 20, 2020 through November 2, 2020 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Saturday, and November 3, 2020 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

.How to Check Your Registration 

You can confirm whether you are registered to vote at the online voter registration portal  or call 1-808-453-VOTE (8683).  If calling from a neighbor island, you may call toll free at 1-(800) 442-VOTE (8683).   Be prepared to provide name, residence address, and date of birth in order to verify your status.

Registration Eligibility: To register to vote, you must be: 

• A citizen of the United States; 
• 18 years of age or older (16-year olds may pre-register).; and
• A resident of Hawaii.  

How to Register: You may register online  or print and complete an application and return it to your Clerk’s office. 

Applications are available at any of the following locations:

Office of Elections

Clerk’s Offices

State Libraries

U.S. Post Offices

State Agencies

Satellite City Halls

You may visit the Office of Elections or your Clerk’s Office to submit an application in person.

Identification Required for Registration: If you are registering to vote for the first time in Hawaii and are mailing in your application, you must provide proof of identification. 

Proof of identification includes a copy of:

• A current and valid photo identification (Driver’s License, State ID, etc.); or
• A current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

If you do not provide the required proof of identification with the application, you will be required to do so at your polling place (voter service center).

If You Miss the Registration Deadline:  If you miss the October 5 registration deadline, you may register and vote at a voter service center location in your county of residence.  In-person registering and voting at a voter service center runs from October 20, 2020 through November 2, 2020 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Saturday, and on Election Day, November 3, 2020 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Please check this site for updates on hours of operation for voter service centers.

You can also call 1-808-453-VOTE (8683) or toll free from neighbor islands at 1-800-442-VOTE (8683).

You will be asked to complete a registration affidavit and provide physical identification.

If You Want to Vote Early

Hawaii allows early walk in voting at voter service centers. Voter service centers will be open October 20, 2020 through November 2, 2020 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Saturday, and November 3, 2020 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Please check this site for updates on hours of operation for voter service centers.

If You Want to Vote Absentee

In order to receive an absentee ballot, you must be registered to vote.   

Hawaii adopted all mail-in voting. All properly registered voters will receive a mail ballot packet approximately 18 days prior to the election. Voters should expect to receive their General Election mail ballot packet by October 16, 2020.

You can request a one-time absentee application by October 27, 2020, but you must be registered to vote in Hawaii to receive an absentee ballot. One-time absentee requests may be made for specific elections or one election cycle. Please visit the Office of Elections site for application forms in the English, Chinese and Ilocano languages. You can return your voted absentee ballot by mail or at any drop off location. Please check here for drop off locations.

Identification Requirements to Cast a Ballot

Precinct officials may request that voters provide identification, and a voter must provide proper identification if requested by a precinct official. 

Proof of identification includes a copy of:

• A current and valid photo identification (Driver’s License, State ID, etc.); or

• A current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

Moving Between Counties

Prior to the registration deadline, the voter should notify the clerk of the Board of Elections office in the voter’s NEW COUNTY or update his or her registration online at https://olvr.hawaii.gov/.  If the person is otherwise legally eligible to register and has updated their registration before the deadline, the voter should be on the rolls at the appropriate precinct in the voter’s new county.

During the early walk-in voting period, a voter may go to a voter service center location in the voter’s new county of residence and re-register on a form provided at the voting service center location.  On Election Day, the voter may go to the voter’s new voter service center location and re-register his or her voter registration to the voter’s new precinct on a form provided at the voter service center.  Any person re-registering shall be immediately added to the register of the new precinct and may vote only at the new precinct.

Registering and Requesting an Absentee Ballot

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) created special provisions for

absent uniformed services and overseas citizens to vote by mail in primary, general, and special elections

for federal offices; and to allow these individuals to use a federal write-in absentee ballot (FWAB) in the

general election for federal offices. 

Who are UOCAVA Voters? 

• Members of the United States Uniformed Services and the merchant marines and their family members
• United States citizens residing outside of the United States 

All military and overseas voters must be registered to vote in order to obtain a ballot. UOCAVA voters can register by completing a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). The completed FPCA must then be received by or postmarked to the Clerk’s Office no later than 30 days prior to an election to be added to the voter rolls. 

Registered voters may request an absentee ballot by completing a FPCA and returning it to their Clerk’s Office no later than 7 days prior to an election. 

Voting an Absentee Ballot

Military and overseas citizens may send and receive voting materials by fax and email. Voted ballots must be received by the Clerk’s Office by the close of polls on Election Day. For the 2020 general election, that deadline is November 3, 2020, at 7:00 p.m.

See here for more details. 

A person sentenced for a felony, from the time of the person’s sentence until the person’s final discharge, may not vote in an election, but if the person is placed on probation or the person is paroled after commitment to imprisonment, the person may vote during the period of the probation or parole.

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