Hawaii
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STARTING A POLITICAL PARTY IN HAWAII:
METHOD: PETITION
SIGNATURES NEEDED - 0.1% of registered voters
SIGNATURES NEEDED - 0.1% of registered voters
Hawaii state law defines a political party an association of voters united to promote a common political end or to carry out a particular line of political policy. The party must maintain a general organization throughout the state, including a regularly constituted central committee and county committees. A political party must also have fielded candidates in the last general election. A party must also have achieved one of the following:
Maintaining party status
Once a political party has qualified by petition and continued to qualify for three consecutive elections, that party will be considered qualified for a period of 10 years without needing to petition, provided the party continues to field candidates for election to public office. The 10-year period begins with the next regularly scheduled general election. At the end of the 10-year period, the party must either have qualified by receiving enough votes for their fielded candidates or must re-qualify by petition.
- The party must have received at least 10 percent of all votes cast for statewide office, or in at least 50 percent of the congressional districts.
- The party must have received at least 4 percent of all votes cast for either all state senate offices or all state house offices statewide.
- The party must have received at least 2 percent of all votes cast for all state senate offices and all state representative offices combined statewide.
- To receive a petition for ballot access, a group must apply to the Hawaii Office of Elections. Applications for petitions must include the following information:
- the name of the group
- the address and telephone number of the group
- the name and telephone number of a contact person for the group
- Upon receipt of the application, the Hawaii Office of Elections will prescribe the petition upon which the group can collect signatures for ballot access. The petition should declare the intention of the signers to qualify as a political party and state the name of the new party.
- The number of signatures collected to gain ballot access must be equal to at least 0.1 percent of the total number of registered voters of the state as of the most recent general election.
- the names and addresses of the officers of the central committee of the political party
- the names and addresses of the officers of the respective county committees of the political party
- the party rules (any amendments to the party rules must be filed within 30 days of adoption)
Maintaining party status
Once a political party has qualified by petition and continued to qualify for three consecutive elections, that party will be considered qualified for a period of 10 years without needing to petition, provided the party continues to field candidates for election to public office. The 10-year period begins with the next regularly scheduled general election. At the end of the 10-year period, the party must either have qualified by receiving enough votes for their fielded candidates or must re-qualify by petition.
As of May 2017, Hawaii officially recognized four political parties: the Democratic, Green, Libertarian, and Republican parties.
Democratic Party of Hawaii Link Party platform
Green Party of Hawaii Link Party by-laws
Libertarian Party of Hawaii Link Tenets
Republican Party of Hawaii Link Party rules
Green Party of Hawaii Link Party by-laws
Libertarian Party of Hawaii Link Tenets
Republican Party of Hawaii Link Party rules
See statutes: Chapter 11, Part V of the Hawaii Revised Statutes