Hawaii voters decide federal and state races Tuesday in mail-ballot election

Polls close at midnight ET, with early and mail ballots reported first

Hawaii voters will elect leaders for federal, state and other offices on Tuesday, in an election the state conducts primarily by mail. Polls close at 7 p.m. Hawaii time, which is midnight Eastern, according to the Associated Press, whose Decision Team will monitor a set of data points as the votes are tallied.

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in the races for governor, U.S. House, statewide ballot measures, state Senate and state House. Because Hawaii runs its elections primarily by mail, ballots go to all registered voters, and the latest advance vote totals are available in the AP’s advance vote tracker.

Turnout in the last midterm offers a benchmark: voters cast about 409,000 votes in Hawaii’s 2022 race for U.S. Senate.

All four counties in Hawaii are expected to release most of their results from early in-person and mail voting in their first vote updates of the night, before any in-person Election Day votes are reported, according to the AP. Almost all results are expected by the final election night vote update.

The 2024 general election provides the most recent guide to timing. The first results were reported starting at 5:07 a.m. ET on Nov. 6, about five hours after polls closed. The state reached 50% of votes reporting at 5:08 a.m. ET and 90% of votes reporting at 11:11 a.m. ET.

The Associated Press does not make projections. It declares a winner only when it determines there is “no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap.” If a race has not been called, the AP will continue covering newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory, while making clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explaining why.

Recounts in Hawaii are automatic if the vote margin is 100 votes or less, or 0.5% or less of the total votes cast for a contest, whichever is smaller. The AP said it may declare a winner in a race subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Through the night, the AP Decision Team will monitor those data points as the votes are tallied. The agency has gathered its continuing 2026 election coverage on a dedicated elections project page.