Honolulu voters will decide four City Council contests in the August 8 primary
Honolulu voters will weigh in on four City Council seats during Hawaii’s Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, primary election, under the state’s official election proclamation.
The Hawaii Office of Elections has set the primary as a mail-conducted election. The ballot will also include a nonpartisan first special election for four City and County of Honolulu Council members.
The election is at its first-special-election stage, not the final outcome for every contest. The proclamation provides for a second special election on Nov. 3 if a candidate does not receive a majority in a multi-candidate contest. That date is also Hawaii’s scheduled general election.
What the vote can decide
A candidate who wins the required majority in an applicable multi-candidate contest can prevail in the first special election. If no candidate receives that majority, the contest may continue to the Nov. 3 second special election.
The state proclamation does not identify the individual candidates or specify the district-level contests in the material provided. As of Aug. 3, final winners and any November runoff contests were not available.
Voters therefore will not necessarily see all four Council contests extend beyond the primary. Whether a second special election is needed depends on the result in each eligible multi-candidate race.
City government work continues after the primary
The City and County of Honolulu’s event calendar lists a Honolulu City Council meeting for Aug. 12, four days after the primary. The scheduled meeting places Council business on the calendar shortly after voters cast ballots in the special elections.
The Council is Honolulu’s legislative body, and the four contests concern its membership and representation. The election process will determine whether the first special election resolves each contest or whether voters must return to the question in November.
Separately, the Council’s FY2026 budget review page records a legislative review and public-testimony process for the budget. That page documents one of the Council’s formal governmental functions while the special-election process is underway.
Key dates
The primary and first special election are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8. Any qualifying second special election would be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, the same day as the statewide general election.
The available official materials establish the election dates, mail voting format and possible runoff procedure, but do not provide candidate-specific results or identify which, if any, contests will require a November vote.
Sources
- 2026 Proclamation, Hawaii Office of Elections
- Honolulu City Council Event Calendar, City and County of Honolulu
- Review FY26 Budget, Honolulu City Council