Voter Information Center

Register to vote or update your voter information by visiting this website: https://olvr.hawaii.gov/

• Check your voter registration status.
• Locate your polling place and note the hours of operation.
• Consider voting early or by using a vote-by-mail ballot
• If you plan to vote at the polls, go early in the day to avoid the last-minute rush.
• Check to see if you need identification to vote (see Voter ID section).
• Read all instructions carefully.
• Take your time.
• Ask for help if you need it.

Keep Your Voter Registration Record Up to Date: Ballots are mailed to the voter's mailing address associated with their voter registration record. Voters who have moved, changed their name or mailing address, must update their voter registration. Voters may check online or call their Clerk's Office to confirm that their voter registration is current.

Not yet registered? Register online or complete a Voter Registration Application and submit it to your Clerk's Office. Click here to learn more about voter registration.

Receiving Your Ballot: 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. If they do not, they should contact their County Elections Division for a replacement.

The mail ballot packet contains:

• A ballot
• A ballot secrecy sleeve
• A return ballot envelope (postage prepaid)

Alternate Format Ballots (AFB) are available to (1) voters with special needs; (2) covered voters under the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act; (3) voters who have not received their ballot package by the fifth day before the date of the election; and (4) voters who otherwise require a replacement ballot within five days of an election. The AFB will be electronically transmitted to voters who can vote the ballot using any compatible device. To request an AFB, please contact your County Elections Division.

Voting Your Ballot: Follow these tips to ensure that your vote counts.

• Before voting, review the instructions, contests, and candidates on both sides of the ballot. Click here to learn more about Hawaii elections.
• A properly marked ballot counts 100% of the time. When marking the ballot, completely fill in the box to the left of your choice with a black or blue pen.
• Voters have the right to spoil their ballot. If you change your mind or make an error and have not yet returned your ballot, contact the Clerk's Office for a replacement ballot.

Preparing Your Ballot for Return: After voting your ballot, re-fold it and seal it in the secret ballot sleeve. The secret ballot sleeve ensures your right to secrecy as the ballots are opened and prepared for counting. Once sealed, place the secret ballot sleeve in the return envelope. Read the affirmation statement and sign the return envelope before returning it to the Clerk's Office. Voters must sign the return envelope for the ballot to be counted.

Returning Your Ballot: Voters may return their ballot by mail or in-person at a designated place of deposit. Voted ballots must be received by the Clerk's Office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. The return envelope is postage paid via the U.S. Postal Service and addressed to your Clerk’s Office.

Processing Your Ballot: Upon receipt of your return envelope, the Clerk's Office conducts a signature validation.  After your signature is validated your ballot will be forwarded to State Election Officials to be counted.

Voter Service Centers: The Clerk's Office establish voter service centers that will be open 10 business days prior to each election. Voters may visit any service center within their county should they prefer to vote in person. Additionally, the service center will provide accessible voting and same day registration.

Yes. You can register to vote and vote in person at Voter Service Centers before Election Day. You can vote at any Voter Service Centers within your county. Find out when and where you can vote early here or visit the Office of Elections website.

You can also vote with an absentee or vote-by-mail ballot instead of going to the polls.

• Hawaii Driver License or Hawaii State ID
• Last 4-digits of your Social Security Number

Or

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

If you go to the polls without the acceptable ID, you can cast a provisional ballot. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) establishes the right for a voter to cast a provisional ballot if:

• Voter’s name does not appear on the official list of registered voters; or
• An election official asserts that the voter is not eligible to vote.

You can check your voting center, your voter status and the status of your request for a vote-by-mail ballot on the Office of Elections website here or by calling (808) 453-VOTE (8683). Note the hours of operation.

Consider voting before Election Day during the Early Voting period or by using vote-by-mail. If you plan to vote at the polls, go early in the day to avoid the last-minute rush.

Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of physical, visual, hearing impairment, or inability to read or write, may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or officer or agent of the voter’s union. Voter centers will have a Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting Machine. DRE voting machines ensure privacy and independence, and protect the right of voters with disabilities and voters with limited English proficiency. The DRE provide accessibility for individuals with disabilities, including nonvisual access for voters who are blind or visually impaired.

Voter centers will have a Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting Machine. DRE voting machinesprovide language accessibility in Chinese and Ilocano pursuant to the Voting Rights Act. You can also request an alternate format ballot by contacting your County Elections Division.

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. More information can be found here.

College students: If you are a Hawai‘i resident who is attending school somewhere else or living on campus, you can request an absentee ballot by filling out an Absentee Application. You will need to request an absentee ballot for each election you are voting in while away. If you are from another state and attend school in Hawai‘i and want to vote in Hawaii's election, learn how to register to be a voter in Hawai‘i.

Military and Overseas Voters: 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; and to allow these individuals to use a federal write-in absentee ballot (FWAB) in the general election.

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.

You don’t need a home to register to vote. On your registration form, you can use the mailing address for a place of residence or a “home-base” where you can regularly be reached. 

Learn more about your rights here. 

1. What is a provisional ballot? 
   A provisional ballot is used to record your vote when the election official isn’t sure if you’re eligible to vote. You should use a provisional ballot only if there’s no way for you to vote on a regular ballot. Your provisional ballot will be counted only if election officials determine that you were eligible to vote. You can contact your County Elections Division to learn whether your provisional ballot was counted.

2. What if someone challenges my right to vote? 
   People who believe you’re trying to vote illegally can challenge your right to vote. If this happens, insist on your right to vote a regular ballot and ask for a copy of the challenge. If an election official says you cannot vote a regular ballot, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot. Your ballot will count only if election officials determine after the election that you were eligible to vote and that you voted at the right polling place.

3. What if someone tries to intimidate or harass me? 
   Tell a poll worker right away. If the poll worker is the problem, report that to the supervisor of the voting center. If the problem is not resolved, tell a poll watcher or call your County Elections Division, or call one of the election protection hotline numbers.