The short version
Hawaii puts candidates on the primary ballot through nomination papers and a filing fee. You file nomination papers with the Office of Elections (or your county clerk for some county offices) and pay the fee for the office.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide (Governor and Lieutenant Governor); the Hawaii Senate and House; county offices (mayor, council, prosecuting attorney); and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
- How to get on the ballot
- File nomination papers and pay the filing fee at the time of filing (cash, cashier's/certified check, or money order — no personal checks). A discounted fee is available if you agree to the voluntary campaign-spending limits, and the fee can be waived for an indigent candidate who also files a petition signed by 0.5% of the district's registered voters. The Candidate's Manual has the details.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Hawaii Office of Elections(808) 453-8683
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office — the official Hawaii resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Official Hawaii candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Hawaii is fully available — see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Hawaii race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors" — voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.