Hawaii’s chief election officer proclaimed the primary date as part of the 2026 election schedule. The vote is a primary election, not the general election.

Four council contests are included

The official proclamation places four Honolulu council seats in the nonpartisan primary. Those contests are part of the City and County of Honolulu’s local-government elections.

The proclamation does not identify the individual council districts covered by the four contests, and it does not list candidates. It also does not establish how many of the four races, if any, will need another election after the primary.

Because the contests are nonpartisan, the Aug. 8 results may not be the final step in every race. Under the proclamation, a second election may be held with the statewide general election for a multi-candidate contest in which no candidate receives a majority.

Possible November election

The statewide general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. That is the date on which a possible second election would occur for an unresolved multi-candidate contest under the majority-winner provision.

Whether a particular Honolulu Council contest proceeds to Nov. 3 will depend on the primary-election result. No outcome or advancement can be determined before votes are counted.

Mail voting and election administration

The Aug. 8 election will be conducted by mail, according to the state proclamation. Honolulu’s elections calendar also lists Aug. 1, 2026, as an election-related date and provides local election-administration information. The available calendar information does not specify the nature of that Aug. 1 date.

Voters seeking to challenge an eligibility determination can appeal to Boards of Registration. The boards will hear voter-eligibility appeals during voting and at additional times set by the clerk, the proclamation states.

The next scheduled statewide election date is Aug. 8. For the four Honolulu Council contests, the key remaining question is whether any multi-candidate race produces a majority winner or instead requires the possible Nov. 3 second election.