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Prof. Justin Levitt's Doug Spencer's Guide to Drawing the Electoral Lines

State Summary

Hawaii uses a nine-member politician commission to draw congressional and state legislative districts.

In the 2010 cycle, Hawaii’s commission released final congressional and state legislative district plans on Sept. 26, 2011.  On Jan. 4, 2012, the Hawaii Supreme Court rejected the state legislative plans, for failure to properly exclude nonresident population under the state constitution. On Mar. 8, 2012, the commission approved new state legislative plans, and further challenges to the state legislative plans were rejected.

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Seats: (projected)

Institution:

Drawn by:

Plan Status:

Party Control:
  Upper House:
  Lower House:
  Governor:

Key Info for 2000 Cycle

Website

Primary governing law

Key Info for 2010 Cycle

Website

Primary governing law

Key Info for 2020 Cycle

Website

Primary governing law

Data

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The Latest Updates

Mar 16, 2022
Hawaii's Supreme Court denied a petition seeking to challenge Hawaii's legislative districts.
Feb 25, 2022
Hawaii Reapportionment Commission submitted the final report and reapportionment plan to the state legislature.
Jan 31, 2022
Hawaii Reapportionment Commission approved final state legislative and congressional maps. The commission made the official proclamation on Jan. 31, 2022.
Jan 6, 2022
Hawaii's Reapportionment Commission modified the state legislative redistricting plans (Hawaii, Oahu, Kauai, Maui) following the release of new data requiring the maps to be adjusted.
Nov 3, 2021
Hawaii's Reapportionment Commission released meeting notices for the public to provide feedback on the proposed legislative plans and proposed congressional plan.
Oct 28, 2021
Hawaii's Reapportionment Commission unanimously adopted the legislative maps (Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu) proposed by the Technical Committee.
Oct 26, 2021
Hawaii's Reapportionment Commission released the agenda and meeting materials for the Oct. 28th meeting. The commission will discuss and adopt a legislative redistricting plan.
Oct 14, 2021
Hawaii's Reapportionment Commission adopted a congressional map proposal for the 2021 redistricting cycle.
Oct 12, 2021
The technical group will present legislative maps for Hawaii, Oahu, Maui (includes Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe) and Kauai (includes Niihau) to the Hawaii Reapportionment Commission on Oct. 14.
Oct 12, 2021
Hawaii's Reapportionment Commission released the agenda and meeting materials for the Oct. 14 virtual meeting. The public may submit testimony for the meeting.
Sep 9, 2021
Hawaii's Reapportionment Commission Technical Group presented two proposals for congressional districts to the full Commission at their Sept. 9 meeting.
Aug 19, 2021
Hawaii's Reapportionment Commission has scheduled its next public meeting. The meeting will be held on Aug. 26, 2021 and the public can submit comment through an online form.
Jul 7, 2021
The Hawaii Supreme Court granted the state Attorney General's petition to extend Hawaii's redistricting deadlines. Proposed plans must now be provided by Jan. 8, 2022; final plans by Feb. 27, 2022.
Mar 12, 2021
HI Senate introduce SR 220 requesting the AG petition HI Supreme Court to prevent legal action against the Reapportionment Commission due to census data delays.

Institution

Hawaii’s congressional and state legislative lines are drawn by a nine-member politician commission, in place since 1968. Each of the four legislative leaders (majority and minority leader in each legislative house) chooses two commissioners, and those eight normally choose a ninth; if they cannot, the Supreme Court appoints a tiebreaking member. [Haw. Const. art. IV, § 2]

The Hawaii Supreme Court has original jurisdiction to review legal challenges filed in state court. [Haw. Const. art. IV, § 10]

Timing

The state constitution requires that the commission produce plans no later than 150 days from the date that it is formed. State statutes require that the commission produce draft plans for public comment no later than 100 days from the date that the commission is formed.  Candidates must file for congressional and state legislative primary elections by June 7, 2022. [Haw. Const. art. IV, § 2; Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 12-6(a)25-2]

Hawaii law designates “reapportionment years,” and might therefore be construed to prohibit redrawing lines mid-decade. [Haw. Const. art. IV, § 1]

Public input

State statutes provide for public hearings on draft redistricting plans, with at least one public hearing in each of the state’s basic island units before a plan is finalized. [Haw. Rev. Stat. § 25-2]

In the last cycle, minutes from past meetings of the commission, and the schedule for upcoming meetings, were listed here.

Criteria

Like all states, Hawaii must comply with constitutional equal population requirements.  State statutes also require congressional districts to be as nearly equally populated as practicable.  For its state legislative lines, Hawaii apportions based on permanent residents (excluding non-residents like non-resident students and military); first, districts are allocated to the four basic island units (centered on Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai), and then those district lines are divvied up within each unit to be as equal in permanent resident population as practicable. [Haw. Rev. Stat. § 25-2(b); Haw. Const. art. IV, §§ 4, 6; Solomon v. Abercrombie, 270 P.3d 1013, 1022-24 (Haw. 2012)]

Hawaii must also, like all states, abide by the Voting Rights Act and constitutional rules on race.

Hawaii has provided additional statutory constraints on congressional plans, which mirror state constitutional constraints on legislative plans. For both types of lines, districts must be contiguous; must be compact, if practicable; and must follow permanent and easily recognized features where possible, and coincide with census tracts where practicable. Where practicable, districts must also avoid submerging one area in another with substantially different predominant socioeconomic interests. [Haw. Const. art. IV, § 6Haw. Rev. Stat. § 25-2(b)] State legislative districts may be multimember districts, but no more than four members may be elected from any single district. Furthermore, where practicable, state House districts must be nested within state Senate districts. [Haw. Const. art. IV, § 6]

No district may be drawn so as to unduly favor a person or political faction. [Haw. Const. art. IV, § 6Haw. Rev. Stat. § 25-2(b)]

2010 cycle

Hawaii’s commission released final congressional and state legislative district plans on Sept. 26, 2011.

On Jan. 4, 2012, the Hawaii Supreme Court rejected the state legislative plans, for failure to properly exclude nonresident population under the state constitution. On Mar. 8, 2012, the commission approved new state legislative plans.  Further challenges to the state legislative plans were rejected.  [Kostick v. Nago, 960 F. Supp. 2d 1074 (D. Haw. 2013), aff’d 134 S. Ct. 1001 (2014); Solomon v. Abercrombie, 270 P.3d 1013 (Haw. 2012)]

2000 cycle

Hawaii’s commission enacted congressional and state legislative district plans on Nov. 30, 2001. It appears that neither plan was challenged in court.

Redistricting Cases in Hawaii

Search all Hawaii Cases >

Hawaii | State Upper | State Lower
Hicks v. 2021 Hawai‘i Reapportionment Comm'n
State court rejected challenge to state legislative plan: alleged district nesting, open process violations
Last Updated May 9, 2022
Case No. SCPW-22-0000078 (Haw. S. Ct.)
Cycle 2020
Hawaii | Process
Hawai‘i v. Hawai‘i 2021 Reapportionment Comm'n
State court granted extension to redistricting deadlines in light of Census delay
Last Updated Jul 7, 2021
Case No. SCPW-21-0000342 (Haw. S. Ct.)
Cycle 2020