STATE OF HAWAII
OFFICE OF ELECTIONS
802 LEHUA AVENUE
PEARL CITY, HAWAII 96782
www.hawaii.gov/elections

FACTSHEET
THE PETITION PROCESS TO PLACE THE NAMES OF CANDIDATES
FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT ON THE
STATE OF HAWAII 2008 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT

Refer to Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) §11-113
and Chapter 14 for information dealing with 
presidential elections and candidates.



GENERAL INFORMATION


To run for United States President or 
United States Vice President, 
all candidates must be:

1.
a natural citizen of the United States (means naturalborn
citizen);

2.
a resident of the United States for 14 years 
prior to election; and

3.
at least 35 years of age.

The State of Hawaii does not have 
a presidential primary or provisions for write-in
voting. 

There are two ways to gain access to the 
State of Hawaii general election presidential ballot:

1.
By the Presidential Petition Process

2.
As the Nominee of a Qualified Political Party

The names of the candidates for president 
and vice president shall be used on the ballot 
in place of the names of the presidential electors. 

The votes cast for president and vice president 
of each political party shall be counted for the 
presidential electors and alternates nominated 
by each political party. 

Hawaii is entitled to four presidential electors 
in the 2008 election. 

(U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1 and 
HRS §11-113 and §14-23)


I. PRESIDENTIAL PETITION PROCESS

A. NOTARIZED STATEMENT OF INTENT (HRS §11-113(c)(2))

Prior to receiving the petition forms, 
the independent candidate/party shall submit 
to the chief election officer

1.
a completed application form; and

2.
a notarized statement from each candidate 
of their intent to be a candidate for president 
and vice president on the general election ballot 
in the State of Hawaii.

B. PETITION FOR QUALIFICATION (HRS §11-113(c)(2))
Upon receipt of the completed application form 
and notarized statement of intent, 
the chief election officer shall issue 
to the independent candidate the petition forms.

1.
The petition shall be filed with the 
chief election officer not later than 4:30 p.m. 
on the 60th day prior to the general election.

The deadline to file the petition is 
Friday, September 5, 2008.

2.
The petition shall:

a.
contain 4,317 signatures of currently registered voters 
in the State of Hawaii which constitute not less than 
one per cent of the votes cast in the State at the 
last presidential election (in the 2004 presidential 
election there were 431,662 votes cast);

b.
be upon a form prescribed and provided by the 
chief election officer and shall contain 
the names of both candidates;

c.
contain a statement that the persons signing 
intend to support those candidates;

d.
contain the residence address of each signatory 
and the date signed; and

e.
The Chief Election Officer may require 
other information as he or she determines appropriate 
for the petition form.

3.
The applicant, and the candidates named, 
shall be notified in writing of the applicant's 
or candidate's eligibility or disqualification 
for placement on the ballot not later than 4:30 p.m. 
on the 10th business day after filing. 

The chief election officer may extend the 
notification period up to an additional 
five business days if the applicants and 
candidates are notified.

4.
If the applicant, or any other party, individual, 
or group with a candidate on the presidential ballot, 
objects to the finding of eligibility or disqualification 
the person may, not later than 4:30 p.m. on the 5th day 
after the finding, file a request in writing with the 
chief election officer for a hearing on the question. 

A hearing shall be called not later than 4:30 p.m. on the 
10th day after receipt of request, and shall be conducted 
in accord with HRS Chapter 91. 

A decision shall be issued not later than 4:30 p.m. 
on the 5th day after the conclusion of the hearing.


C. WITHDRAWAL OF SIGNATURES FROM THE PETITION (HRS §11-6)

A voter who signs a petition and seeks to withdraw his/her 
signature from the petition may do so if the petition 
has not yet been filed with the chief election officer.

1. A voter who seeks to withdraw the voter's signature 
from a petition must submit a notice in writing to the 
chief election officer any time before the filing of the petition. 

The notice shall include the voter's:

a.
name;

b.
social security number;

c.
residence address;

d.
date of birth; and

e.
signature with the name under which 
the voter is registered to vote.

2. Upon receipt of that notice containing 
the information required by HRS §11-6
the chief election officer shall notify 
the group or individual to whom the petition was issued, 
and the signature of the individual shall not be counted.


II. NOMINEE OF A QUALIFIED POLITICAL PARTY

A. SWORN APPLICATION (HRS §11-113)

1.
The sworn application shall be filed not later 
than 4:30 p.m. on the 60th day prior to the 
general election with the chief election officer 
in the Office of Elections.

The deadline to file the sworn application is 
Friday, September 5, 2008.

2.
The sworn application shall include:

a.
the names and addresses of each of the two candidates;

b.
a statement that each candidate is legally qualified 
to serve under the provisions of the United States Constitution; 
and

c.
a statement that candidates are duly chosen candidates 
of both the state and national party, giving time, place, 
and manner of selection (where applicable).


III. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS AND ALTERNATES (HRS Chapter 14)

A. The party/group shall hold a state party 
or group convention to nominate as candidates 
four electors, and a first and second alternate 
for each elector, of president and vice president 
as the State is entitled. 

The electors shall be registered voters of the State. (HRS §14-21)

NOTE: Article II, Section 1 of the 
U.S. Constitution provides that 

"Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the 
Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, 
equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives 
to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: 
but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an 
Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, 
shall be appointed an Elector."

B. The names and addresses of the nominees for 
presidential elector and alternates shall be certified 
by the chairman and secretary of the convention and 
submitted to the chief election officer not later than 
4:30 p.m. on the 60th day prior to the general election 
of the same year. 

The Chief Election Officer upon receipt thereof, 
shall immediately notify each of the nominees for 
elector and alternate elector of the nomination. 
(HRS §14-21)

The deadline is Friday, September 5, 2008.


C. The chief election officer shall certify 
to the governor the names of the elected presidential 
electors and alternates receiving the highest 
number of votes as elected as presidential electors 
and alternates not later than 4:30 p.m. on the 
last day in the month of the election. (HRS §14-24)

D. The governor shall in accordance with the 
laws of the United States, communicate by 
registered mail under the seal of the State of Hawaii 
to the administrator of general services of the United States, 
the certificates of persons elected as presidential electors, 
setting forth the names of the electors and the total 
number of votes cast for each elector. 

The Chief Election Officer shall thereupon, together 
with a notice of the time and place of the meeting 
of the electors, cause to issue and transmit to each 
elector and alternate a certificate of election 
signed by the governor. 
(HRS §14-24)

E. The presidential electors shall assemble 
at the State Capitol on the first Monday 
after the second Wednesday in December next 
following their election, at two o'clock in the afternoon. 
(HRS §14-26)

The electors shall assemble on Monday, December 15, 2008.

IV.
ELECTION DATES

The Primary Election will be held on 
Saturday, September 20, 2008

The General election will be held on 
Tuesday, November 4, 2008


V.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR CORRECTLY COMPLETING THE PETITION FORM

A. The petition can only be verified on the basis 
of the information contained on it.

1.
The information is compared with the information contained
in the official voter register.

2.
If a voter provides information that is illegible 
or inconsistent with the information in the 
official voter register, this may result in 
the signature not being counted.

Examples of this are the voter providing 
an incorrect address, social security number, 
or date of birth. 

This frequently results from illegible handwriting 
or a voter transposing numbers.

B. Do not separate the petition sets. 
Use black ink for all signatures.


C. Petition Form

1.
Social Security Number – is optional, however, 
providing the social security number assists with 
distinguishing among people having 
identical names and/or addresses.

2.
Clearly Print Your Name Here – the name of 
the voter must be printed in the space provided. 

If the voter name is illegible or inconsistent 
with the information in the official voter register, 
this may result in the signature not being counted.

3.
Sign the Name Under Which You Are Registered to Vote the
signature of the voter must match the signature on 
his/her most recent voter registration affidavit. 

This same signature will be needed for any 
necessary signature validity checks.

4.
Print the Residence Address at 
Which You Are Registered to Vote

The residence address of the voter where he/she 
is registered to vote must be recorded.

The voter should not use an address to which 
the voter has moved subsequent to registering 
and has failed to make the change of registration as required by law.

Mailing addresses are not acceptable.

5.
Birth Date 

Providing the date of birth assists with 
distinguishing among people having identical names 
and/or addresses. 

If a voter provides information that is inconsistent 
with the information in the official voter register, 
this may result in the signature not being counted.

An example of this is the voter providing an 
incorrect date of birth. 

This frequently results from a voter transposing numbers.

6.
Date Signed 

The date on which the signature was recorded 
must be indicated.

D. Petitioners should collect more signatures 
than required because many signatures maybe disallowed 
either in the certification process or through challenges.

E. A voter may only sign one presidential petition. 
Duplicate signatories within a petition may not be counted. 
In addition, whichever petition is filed first 
shall be the petition in which the signatory may be certified.

F. If you need additional petition sets, 
contact the Office of Elections at (808) 453-VOTE (8683).

This Fact Sheet is intended for 
informational purposes only and should not be used 
as an authority on the Hawaii election law and candidate deadlines. 

Requirements and/or deadlines may change 
pending changes in legislation. 

Consult the Hawaii Revised Statutes and other sources 
for more detailed and accurate requirements.


Office of Elections
FSBO123H
03/11/08