AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Hawaii on Election Day

By TOM MURPHY and MAYA SWEEDLER The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hawaii voters will be among the last in the country to cast their ballots on Election Day, when they’ll weigh in on the races for president, U.S. Senate and House and both chambers of the state Legislature.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, Republican former President Donald Trump and four third-party candidates will compete for the state’s four electoral votes in the race to replace outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden.

The island state has been reliably Democratic for years. Voters there have supported only two Republican presidential nominees since becoming a state in 1959: Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984. Biden and Hillary Clinton each received more than 60% of the vote in 2020 and 2016, while Hawaii-born Barack Obama received more than 70% of the vote in his two successful campaigns.

In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Mazie Hirono is running for a third term against Republican Bob McDermott and two third-party candidates. Hirono received 71% of the vote in her 2018 reelection. McDermott, a former state representative, last ran for Senate two years ago when he lost to Democrat Brian Schatz by a 44-point margin. The only Republican to represent Hawaii in the Senate — Hiram Fong — left office in 1977.

In the state’s two U.S. House races, Democratic incumbent Ed Case seeks a sixth full term representing Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District, which covers urban Honolulu. He’ll face Republican Patrick Largey. Democratic Rep. Jill Tokuda will face Republican Steve Bond and two third-party candidates as she seeks a second term in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers suburban Honolulu and the neighbor islands.

Voters will also decide two statewide ballot measures and elect members to the state Legislature. About half of 25 state Senate seats and all 51 state House seats are up for election. Democrats hold lopsided supermajorities in both chambers.

Elections in Hawaii are conducted predominantly by mail, after the state instituted the practice in 2019.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 election in Hawaii:

Election Day

Nov. 5.

Poll closing time

12 a.m. ET.

Presidential electoral votes

4 awarded to statewide winner.

Key races and candidates

President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green) and two others.

U.S. Senate: Hirono (D) vs. McDermott (R) and two others.

Other races of interest

U.S. House, state Senate, state House, Amendment 1 (right to marry) and Amendment 2 (standardize judicial appointment process).

Past presidential results

2020: Biden (D) 64%, Trump (R) 34%, AP race call: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, 12 a.m. ET.

Voter registration and turnout

Registered voters: 861,358 (as of Nov. 8, 2022)

Voter turnout in 2020 presidential election: 68% of registered voters.

Pre-Election Day voting

Votes cast before Election Day 2020 and 2022: almost all votes cast by mail.

Votes cast before Election Day 2024: See AP Advance Vote tracker.

How long does vote-counting take?

First votes reported, Nov. 3, 2020: 4:44 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 4

By 6 a.m. ET on Nov. 4: about 95% of total votes cast were reported.

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Murphy reported from Indianapolis. Associated Press writer Maya Sweedler contributed to this report.

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Read more about how U.S. elections work at Explaining Election 2024, a series from The Associated Press aimed at helping make sense of the American democracy. The AP receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.