Your Ballot Is On The Way! The 2026 General Election Voting Guide

by HFC Staff

It has been six years since Hawaii officially launched the mail-in ballot system statewide. The transition to vote-by-mail boosted the state’s voter turnout to more than 50%, the highest since 1994.

However, only 33% of voters turned out to cast their votes in the recent 2026 Primary Election.

With the 2026 General Election just around the corner, registered voters like you need to make your voices heard and cast your vote.

In this article, we will guide you through step-by-step from learning about candidates to casting your vote on the ballot in the November 3, 2026 General Election.

Learn about the candidates

Treat your vote like you are preparing for an exam. Review your values and priorities. Read about candidates and their platforms. Find the platform that resonates with you and vote for the candidate that supports the plans and goals you want to see in your community and district. Reading up on your district’s candidates will help you cast your vote.

In this month’s Hawaii Filipino Chronicle regular and supplement issues, we tackle various topics relating to the upcoming election. Our supplement edition features an article on Filipino American candidates in the General Election.

Voter eligibility

Now that you have decided on your candidates, let’s check your voter eligibility.

To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, a Hawaii resident, and at least 18 years old. Prepare your Hawaii Driver’s License or Hawaii State ID and your Social Security Number, then head to https://olvr.hawaii.gov/. You can also check your voter registration status and confirm your voter registration address on the same website.

You don’t need to confirm registration every year if you’ve voted before. Still, it’s your responsibility to keep your voter registration updated when there are changes in your name, residence, or mailing address between elections. This ensures that the mail-in ballots are addressed and delivered to the correct person at the correct residence.

Mail-in ballot voting

Here are four easy and important steps you need to know about voting by mail.

1. The ballot is automatically sent to the mailing address indicated in your voter registration.

2. The mail-in ballot arrives 18 days before General Election Day on November 3. Starting October 26, you can expect the ballot to arrive in your mail.

3. Your signature on the return envelope is required for your ballot to be counted. The mail ballot packet consists of the ballot, a secrecy sleeve, and a prepaid postage return ballot envelope. Shade the circle next to your candidate’s name on the ballot, then fold the ballot and place it in the secrecy sleeve. Put the whole thing back into the return ballot envelope and make sure to write your signature on the envelope.

4. The mail-in ballot should be received by your County Elections Division by 7 pm on General Election Day, November 3. Once you receive your ballot in the mail, it’s best to cast your vote as soon as you can to ensure that you reach the deadline on Election Day. There are official drop box locations within your country. Look for the big orange box with large text written on it: “OFFICIAL BALLOT DROP BOX.” To find the drop box near you, visit https://elections.hawaii.gov/voter-service-centers-and-places-of-deposit/.

In-person voting

Similar to previous elections, the Voter Service Centers will be open 10 business days before Election Day, which will offer in-person voting and same-day registration. For the General Election, the offices will be open from October 20 to November 3, 2026 (excluding Sundays). For the list of locations and office hours, visit https://elections.hawaii.gov/voter-service-centers-and-places-of-deposit/.

Your vote matters

Once your return mail ballot is received, the County Elections Division will verify your signature on the return envelope to confirm your identity, and then the vote will be counted. If the envelope doesn’t have a signature, your ballot is void and not counted.

Once your mail ballot is scanned, verified, and counted, you will not be able to vote in person. If you voted in person, your mail ballot packet will not be accepted. In this way, vote duplicates are avoided.

For more information about voting in Hawaii, visit https://elections.hawaii.gov.

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