In a significant development for the Hawaiian political landscape, Chief Election Officer Scott T. Nago has issued a notice of intention to disqualify five political parties: the Green Party of Hawaii, No Labels Hawaii, the Party of Socialism and Liberation, the Solidarity Party of Hawaii, and We The People.

The move, announced on March 4th, 2025, stems from the parties’ failure to meet the requirements outlined in Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) §11-61(b). This statute mandates that a political party must have had candidates running in the last general election and achieve a minimum vote share to maintain its official status.

Specifically, the law stipulates that a party must receive at least:

• 10% of votes cast for any statewide office, or in at least 50% of congressional districts.
• 4% of votes cast for all state senate offices statewide.
• 4% of votes cast for all state representative offices statewide.
• 2% of votes cast for all state senate and state representative offices combined statewide.

According to the notice, the Green Party of Hawaii, No Labels Hawaii, the Party of Socialism and Liberation, the Solidarity Party of Hawaii, and We The People all failed to reach these thresholds in the most recent general election.

The notice serves as a warning, giving the affected parties an opportunity to contest the disqualification. Any officer of the listed parties whose name is on file with the Chief Election Officer can request a hearing by filing an affidavit detailing the reasons why their party should not be disqualified. This affidavit must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on the tenth day after the notice was served by mail, or by the tenth day after the last day the notice was publicly posted in any county, whichever is later.

If a hearing is requested, the Chief Election Officer is obligated to convene it within twenty days of receiving the affidavit. Notification of the hearing’s date, time, and location will be sent via certified or registered mail to the officer who filed the affidavit, and public notice will be given at least five days prior to the hearing. A decision will then be rendered by the Chief Election Officer within seven days following the hearing.

Should a party fail to file an affidavit within the designated timeframe, the notice of intention to disqualify will become final. Disqualified parties retain the right to requalify as a new party by adhering to the procedures outlined in HRS §11-62.

This development could have significant implications for the diversity of political representation in Hawaii, potentially reducing the number of options available to voters in future elections. Observers will be closely watching to see if any of the affected parties choose to challenge the disqualification and what arguments they present to the Chief Election Officer.