Hawaii lawmakers are taking a big swing at how the state picks its politicians, advancing a bill that would scrap party-based primaries and send the top two primary vote-getters, regardless of party, to the general election. The move could dramatically reshape the 2026 ballot.
The Senate Judiciary Committee pushed Senate Bill 2480 forward with amendments after a hearing last Friday that drew dozens of written testimonies. Backers argue the plan would broaden voter choice, while critics say it risks locking in establishment power and scrambling long-standing party rules.
What the bill would do
Senate Bill 2480 would let voters cast a primary ballot for any candidate without regard to the political party preference and then advance the top two vote-getters to the general election, according to the Hawai'i State Legislature. The bill, as introduced, would repeal Section 12-41 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and replace traditional party-based nomination language with a nonpartisan top-two structure.
Hearing drew mixed reaction
At the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last Friday, 41 people submitted written testimony in support and nine opposed the bill, and the committee recommended the measure pass with amendments, as reported by Hawaii News Now. Supporters told lawmakers the shift would expand voter choice and help ensure general-election lineups reflect broader backing, one testifier said.
Opponents argued that the plan might maintain the current system and that removing the partisan element would oversimplify the issue. One critic noted that the law is currently unstable and public trust is low. Despite these concerns, the committee voted to keep the bill alive with some changes.
How a top-two system works
Under a top-two system, every candidate appears on a single primary ballot and the two highest vote-getters move on to the general election, no matter which parties they belong to. States such as California and Washington use versions of this model, and critics argue it can squeeze out minor parties and occasionally produce general elections featuring two candidates from the same party, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Supporters of top-two systems say they can nudge candidates toward moderation and cross-party appeal. Election scholars, however, have flagged potential unintended consequences for party competition, especially when smaller parties struggle to clear the first-round hurdle.
Ballot-access and legal questions
The bill text would repeal existing statutory language on party nominations and replace it with the top-two rule, which raises questions about how smaller parties and independent candidates would reach the general-election ballot; see LegiScan for the statutory wording. Ballot-access analysts have long warned that top-two systems can make it harder for minor parties to secure general-election spots, a concern echoed by local testifiers and outside observers; for one such critique, see Ballot Access News.
Next steps and timeline
The Judiciary Committee's last Friday recommendation sends SB2480 to the full Senate for further debate, according to the Hawai'i State Legislature. Hawaii's Primary Election is set for Aug. 8, 2026, and the Office of Elections has already laid out filing and ballot deadlines that would overlap with any change to the law; the schedule is posted by the Hawaii Office of Elections.
With the calendar already ticking toward 2026, parties and would-be candidates now have a fresh procedural wildcard to track as SB2480 heads to the Senate floor.
