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Hawaii State Senate elections, 2022
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2024 →
← 2020
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| 2022 Hawaii Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
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| Primary | August 13, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2020・2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008 |
| 2022 Elections | |
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| Choose a chamber below: | |
Elections for the Hawaii State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 13, 2022. The filing deadline was June 7, 2022.
The Hawaii State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
All 25 seats were up for election in 2022. In the 2022 elections, the Democratic majority in the Senate was reduced from 24-1 to 23-2.
Party control
| Hawaii State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 24 | 23 | |
| Republican Party | 1 | 2 | |
| Total | 25 | 25 | |
Candidates
General
Primary
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
One incumbent lost in the Nov. 8 general election.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Gil Riviere | Senate District 23 |
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
Two incumbents lost in the Aug. 13 primaries.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Acasio | Senate District 1 | |
| Bennette Misalucha | Senate District 16 |
Retiring incumbents
Three incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosalyn Baker | Senate District 6 | Retired | |
| Brian Taniguchi | Senate District 11 | Retired | |
| Clarence Nishihara | Senate District 17 | Retired |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Hawaii. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Hawaii in 2022. Information below was calculated on Aug. 9, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Hawaii held 51 contested primaries in 2022, 34% of the total number of possible primaries, and a 65% increase from 2020.
A primary is contested when more candidates files to run than there are nominations available, meaning at least one candidate must lose.
Of the 51 contested primaries, 36 were for Democrats and 15 were for Republicans. For Democrats, this was up from 29 in 2020, a 24% increase. For Republicans, the number increased 650% from two in 2020.
Twenty-five contested primaries featured an incumbent, representing 40% of all incumbents who filed for re-election. This was a higher rate of incumbents in contested primaries compared to 2020, but lower than rates in the 2018 and 2016 cycles.
All 25 incumbents in contested primaries were Democrats.
Overall, 205 major party candidates—126 Democrats and 79 Republicans—filed to run.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Hawaii State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[2] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Hawaii State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 25 | 4 (16 percent) | 21 (84 percent) |
| 2020 | 13 | 2 (15 percent) | 11 (85 percent) |
| 2018 | 13 | 3 (23 percent) | 10 (77 percent) |
| 2016 | 14 | 1 (7 percent) | 13 (93 percent) |
| 2014 | 13 | 2 (15 percent) | 11 (85 percent) |
| 2012 | 25 | 0 (0 percent) | 25 (100 percent) |
| 2010 | 15 | 3 (20 percent) | 12 (80 percent) |
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Chapter 12, Part I of the Hawaii Revised Statutes
In Hawaii, all candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation, must be nominated via the state's primary election before appearing on a general election ballot. In the primary election, a candidate may run as a nonpartisan or as a member of a political party. Nonpartisan candidates appear on a separate, nonpartisan ballot.[3][4][5]
Nomination papers
To be placed on the ballot, a candidate must first file an application for nomination papers with the Hawaii Office of Elections. Nomination papers are available on the first business day in February in every even-numbered year.[6][7]
Nomination papers must be signed by voters qualified to vote for the office being sought by the candidate. The number of signatures required is as follows:[6][8]
- A candidate seeking the offices of United States senator, United States representative, governor or lieutenant governor must collect 25 signatures.
- A candidate seeking office in the Hawaii State Legislature must collect 15 signatures.
A signer may sign for only one candidate per office, unless there is more than one seat available for that office. When signing the nomination paper, the signer must provide the following information:[6][9]
- name
- residential address
- date of birth
- the last four digits of Social Security number
- a statement verifying that the signer is qualified to vote for the candidate and that the signer nominates the candidate for the office specified
The following must also be included on the nomination paper:[9]
- the residential address and county in which the candidate resides
- a sworn certification, by self-subscribing oath, by the candidate affirming that he or she is qualified for the office being sought and that all the information provided by the candidate on the nomination paper is correct
- a sworn certification, by self-subscribing oath, by a party candidate that the candidate is a member of the party whose affiliation is indicated on the nomination paper (this is only required of political party candidates)
Filing nomination papers
Except for special primaries or special general elections, the deadline to file nomination papers is the first Tuesday in June. Candidates are advised to file papers early and to collect more than the minimum number of signatures. Exceptions or extensions on filing are prohibited, and once a nomination paper has been filed, a candidate cannot add more signatures.[10][6]
A candidate who holds a public office other than that being sought must resign from his or her current office before filing to be a candidate for a new office. When filing nomination papers, the candidate must certify, by self-subscribing oath, that he or she has resigned from his or her former office.[6]
At the time of filing, the candidate must designate what name he or she wishes to appear on the ballot. A candidate is allowed a maximum of 27 typed spaces on the ballot for names, which includes all letters, spaces, and punctuation marks. Titles are not permitted as part of a candidate's name.[6]
Upon filing, the candidate must sign before a notary public a written oath of affirmation. In order to sign the oath, the candidate must provide a photo ID to the notary public.[6][11]
Any challenges or objections to a candidate's nomination paper must be raised before the 60th day prior to the primary election. Challenges and objections may be raised by registered voters, political party officers who were named on the nomination paper, or by the state's chief elections officer.[6][12]
Filing fees
Filing fees are due at time of filing and must be paid by cash, money order, or certified cashier’s check. Personal or campaign checks will not be accepted. Filing fees may be discounted if the candidate agrees to abide by the state’s voluntary campaign spending limits. Filing fees vary according to the office being sought and are detailed in the table below.[6][10][13]
| Filing fees | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office sought | Filing fee | Discounted filing fee |
| United States senator or United States representative | $75 | Not applicable |
| Governor or lieutenant governor | $750 | $75 |
| Mayor | $500 | $50 |
| All other offices | $250 | $25 |
If a candidate cannot afford to pay the filing fee, he or she can instead file an affidavit attesting to that fact and submit a petition in lieu of the filing fee. The petition must be signed by one-half of 1 percent of the total number of registered voters as of the most recent general election in the district in which the candidate is seeking election.[6][10]
Qualifying for the general election ballot
The party candidate who receives the most votes at the primary election advances to the general election.[14]
A nonpartisan candidate can move on to the general election ballot in one of the following ways:[5]
- by receiving at least 10 percent of the votes cast for the office
- by receiving a number of votes equal to the lowest number of votes received by a partisan candidate who was nominated in the primary election for the office
If more nonpartisan candidates gain access to the general election ballot than there are offices up for election, only the nonpartisan candidate who received the highest vote for the office will move on to the general election.[5][14]
Qualifications
From Article III, Section 7 of the Hawaii Constitution: No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of the senate unless the person has been a resident of the State for not less than three years, has attained the age of majority and is, prior to filing nomination papers and thereafter continues to be, a qualified voter of the senatorial district from which the person seeks to be elected; except that in the year of the first general election following reapportionment, but prior to the primary election, an incumbent senator may move to a new district without being disqualified from completing the remainder of the incumbent senator's term.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[15] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $74,160/year | $225/day; only for legislators who do not reside on Oahu. |
When sworn in
Hawaii legislators assume office on the day they are elected in the general election.[16]
Hawaii political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Hawaii Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty-six years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Presidential politics in Hawaii
2020 Presidential election results
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
63.7
|
366,130 | 4 |
|
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
34.3
|
196,864 | 0 | |
|
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.0
|
5,539 | 0 | |
|
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.7
|
3,822 | 0 | |
|
| Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (American Shopping Party) |
0.2
|
1,183 | 0 | |
|
| Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party) |
0.2
|
931 | 0 | |
| Total votes: 574,469 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Hawaii
Redistricting following the 2020 census
The Hawaii Reapportionment Commission approved new legislative district maps on January 28, 2022.[17] The commission's Technical Committee Permitted Interaction Group initially presented the state legislative map plans to the commission for consideration on October 14, 2021. The map plans were approved for public comment on October 28.[18] On January 6, the commission approved a motion to modify the legislative map plans after learning the initial plans had not properly accounted for the number of nonpermanent resident personnel on military installations in the state, who are not included in legislative redistricting. Under the modified proposal, one legislative district would be moved from Oahu to Hawaii.[19][20] This map took effect for Hawaii's 2022 state legislative elections.
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Hawaii State Senate Districts
until November 7, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Hawaii State Senate Districts
starting November 8, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
See also
| Hawaii | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 2," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ Hawaii Office of Elections, "Candidate's Manual (2024 elections)," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hawaii Office of Elections, "Nonpartisan Candidates in Partisan Contests," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedhicandidatefactsheet - ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 2.5," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 5," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 3," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 6," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 7," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part I, Section 8," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ State of Hawaii Office of Elections, "Filing Fees for Candidacy," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hawaii Revised Statutes, "Chapter 12, Part IV, Section 41," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Legislative Reference Bureau, "Hawaii Constitution, Article III, Section 4," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ State of Hawaii, "Regular Meeting of the Reapportionment Commission - January 28, 2022," accessed February 4, 2022
- ↑ Patch.com, "The Plan To Redraw Hawaii's Political Lines Goes Out For Public Comment," Oct. 29, 2021
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "The Big Island Is Set To Gain A House Seat As Reapportionment Restarts," Jan. 6, 2021
- ↑ Office of Elections, "Reapportionment Commission," accessed Oct. 20, 2021
