If there is an issue that you think should become a law, you don’t have to wait until your state legislature agrees with you. You can let the voters decide by filing a ballot initiative. Your direct action can qualify your measure to be on the ballot in the next statewide election.
Last updated on: December 20, 2020
The following is a brief overview of the ways you can file a ballot initiative in Hawaii.
State Level Initiative
The state of Hawaii does not allow both statutory initiatives and constitutional amendment initiatives.
Initiatives at the County Level
While you may be limited when it comes to statewide initiatives, Hawaii’s constitution creates home rule within the counties in Hawaii. Most importantly, this allows counties to essentially govern themselves. Because of this, each county creates its initiative process at the local level. There are three counties in Hawaii, not including the city of Honolulu. Refer to each county’s website for more specific rules on the initiative process in that county.