#General Election

The deadline to file as a candidate for the 2026 Elections is Tuesday, June 2, by 4:30 p.m., leaving potential candidates just 5 business days to complete the process. The Maui County Office of the County Clerk, Elections Division, strongly encourages candidates to book a filing appointment by calling 808-270-7749. Timeslots are filling quickly.

Maui voters will soon be receiving their yellow voter signature cards in the mail. This voter card does two important things: 1) confirms voters are properly registered to vote in the Primary Election (in August) and the General Election (in November), and 2) gives voters the opportunity to update their signatures in their voter record.

West Maui state Rep. Elle Cochran missed 51 of 60 House floor sessions — an 85% absence rate — during the 2025 legislative session while collecting $22,725 in per diem payments intended to cover off-island living expenses, according to House records. Her near-total absence from legislative proceedings in Honolulu, coupled with her acceptance of these taxpayer-funded […]

The two candidates were separated by fewer than 100 votes in the closest Maui County Council contest of the election. With no recount triggered and the deadline for cured ballots passed, the only other option is a legal challenge.

Two charter amendments passed with nearly 60% of the vote. The third, which proposed consecutive terms for board members with no waiting period, was narrowly defeated.

The Maui County Clerk’s Office is notifying voters whose ballots have signature issues to fix them by 4:30 p.m. Nov. 13.

All Maui County Council members appeared to have won reelection, though the South Maui race was separated by just over 100 votes as of Wednesday morning, and it was unknown how many more ballots were pending. In the presidential race, voters said concerns over the economy pushed them to back Trump.

University of Hawai‘i political science professor says it’s essentially a choice between a steady approach to county government or a less conventional but untested approach, with the appeal of each depending on whether voters think their needs are being met by incumbent Mitch Roth’s administration or if they’re ready to take a chance and go a new direction with challenger Kimo Alameda.

Money is flowing into the most closely contested races for the council, including the South Maui race, and contributions from vacation rental organizations reflect the hot-button proposal to ban short-term rentals that the council will have to consider.

Even with the political factions that have split the council in recent years, candidates on both sides of the aisle are cautious when it comes to the mayor’s proposal of completely phasing out short-term rentals.

The proposed amendments address the need for full-time staffing of the Board of Ethics; make it easier for people to serve a second term on county boards and commissions; and better define the role of the Salary Commission.

The Council Chambers on the eighth floor of the Kalana O Maui building in Wailuku will be closed beginning Oct. 18 until late next month for general election activities, according to an announcement from Council Chair Alice Lee.

First-term Maui County Council Member Tom Cook finished 145 votes ahead of former Council Member Kelly Takaya King in Saturday’s primary election by winning all Central Maui precincts and splitting votes with his rival Upcountry and in West Maui. In her bid to retake her former South Maui residency seat, King prevailed in all precincts from North Kīhei to Mākena and posted strong showings in East Maui.

With just one week to go, election officials recommend Hawaiʻi voters return their completed ballots by dropping them off at a ballot drop box or by visiting a voter service center within their county rather than placing them in the mail.

Candidates for the general election can apply for advertising tables at the 49th Annual Maui County Senior Fair on Oct. 29 at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku.

Hawaiʻi 2020 Election Result updates can be found here. Check back for up to the minute updates with a focus on races of Maui importance listed first.

Today is general election day.  Voters who did not mail their ballot by the recommended date, can still turn in ballots at a place of deposit.  

The governor departed Hawai‘i late on Sunday, Nov. 11 and is scheduled to return on Sunday, Nov. 18.

Check here for 2018 Election Day Results, which will be updated regularly as summary reports are released. Results will focus on Maui races first.

The 2018 General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. Election officials would like to share a few reminders with voters before heading to the polls on Election Day.