Maui County Watch
OverviewCouncilWorkforceServicesFacilitiesBoardsContractsElectionsTransparencyAskAbout

2026 Maui County Elections

UPCOMING

In 2026, Maui County voters will elect a Mayor and all 9 County Council seats. The Mayor serves a 4-year term; council members serve 2-year terms and were elected in November 2024 — making 2026 the next council election cycle.

Primary Election

August 8, 2026

Saturday — top two advance per race

Primary Ballot Mailing

July 21, 2026

Ballots mailed ~18 days before election

General Election

November 3, 2026

Tuesday

General Ballot Mailing

October 16, 2026

Ballots mailed ~18 days before election

Closed

Candidate Filing

June 2, 2026

Deadline 4:30 PM — Hawaii Office of Elections

Offices on ballot

Mayor + 9 Council

Mayor: 4-yr term · Council: 2-yr terms, all seats every cycle

How Hawaii's Primary Works

County races are nonpartisan

The Mayor and all 9 County Council seats are designated nonpartisan. Candidates do not declare a party affiliation on the ballot, and all registered voters cast ballots in these races regardless of party.

Open primary — no registration required

Hawaii does not require voters to register with a party in advance. At the primary, every voter receives a ballot that includes all nonpartisan county races.

State & federal races: choose one party

For state legislative and federal races, voters must select one party's ballot and may only vote for candidates of that party. Crossing over to vote in another party's race disqualifies the ballot. Qualified parties for 2026: Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian.

Top two advance

In nonpartisan races (Mayor, Council), the two candidates with the most primary votes advance to the General Election, regardless of party affiliation.

Source: Hawaii Office of Elections.

Mayoral Campaign Finance Comparison

Richard Bissen

Incumbent

Full finance →

Cash on hand

$27K

Total raised

$64K

Total spent

$52K

Outstanding loans

$28K

⚠ $28,302 in outstanding self-loans

Yuki Lei Sugimura

Councilmember (Upcountry)

Full finance →

Cash on hand

$78K

Total raised

$15K

Total spent

$24K

Outstanding loans

None

Finance data through Dec 31, 2025. Other candidates' data not yet available.

Mayor's Race — 10 candidates

Source: Hawaii Office of Elections, June 2026
CandidateLocationWebsiteStatusFinance
Richard T. Bissen Jr.

Incumbent Mayor

Wailuku, HIbissen2026.comFiledFinance →
Yuki Lei Kashiwa Sugimura

Sitting Council Vice-Chair, Upcountry — vacating seat

Kula, HIyukileiformayor.comFiledFinance →

John Dunbar

Haʻikū, HIFiled

Justin J. Herrmann

Lahaina, HIjhermaloha.orgFiled
P. Denise La Costa

⚠ Treasurer address: Newhall, CA

Lahaina (P.O. Box), HImayorlacosta2026.comFiledFinance →

Travis A. Liggett

Makawao, HIFiled

Joseph Moses

Kahului, HIFiled

Amy Petterson

Kula, HIFiled

Callahan P. Welsh

Kīhei, HIFiled

Laurent Zahnd

Kahului, HIFiled

All 10 candidates officially filed by the June 2, 2026 deadline. All races are nonpartisan. Data: Hawaii Office of Elections, June 2026. Finance data available for Bissen and Sugimura only — CSC public dataset covers through Dec 31, 2025. Data for remaining candidates expected after the pre-primary reporting deadline (~July 29, 2026).

Council Races — all 9 seats

Council campaign finance →

Council members serve 2-year terms. All 9 seats are up every election cycle. Yuki Lei Sugimura (Upcountry) is running for Mayor, leaving that seat open. Alice Lee (Wailuku) did not file, leaving her seat open as well. All other incumbents filed for re-election by the June 2, 2026 deadline.

DistrictIncumbent2026 candidatesFinance
East Maui

Shane Sinenci

Carroll, SinenciFinance →
West Maui

Tamara Paltin

Paltin, TillmanFinance →
Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū

Alice L. Lee

Incumbent has not filed

Forrest, Konohia, Lindsey, Lloyd, Moniz
Kahului

Kauanoe Batangan

Batangan was appointed, not elected

Ababan, Batangan, Kamekona
South Maui

Tom Cook

Cook, KingFinance →
Makawao-Haiku-Pāʻia

Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins

Chung, Uʻu-HodginsFinance →
Upcountry

Yuki Lei Sugimura

Sugimura running for Mayor

Cabiles, Guard, Pahia, Yokouchi
Lānaʻi

Gabe Johnson

JohnsonFinance →
Molokaʻi

Keani Rawlins-Fernandez

Rawlins-FernandezFinance →

Candidate data from Hawaii Office of Elections, filing deadline June 2, 2026. Finance pages show CSC campaign data where available; others are stubs awaiting data.

Campaign Finance

All Hawaii campaign contributions and expenditures are publicly reported to the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission ↗.

Search candidatesContribution reportsExpenditure reports

Finance data for mayoral candidates (Bissen, Sugimura) and council members (Uʻu-Hodgins, Paltin) available now. Council candidate finance pages are stubs awaiting CSC data downloads. Donor → candidate → contractor relationships will be visualized in the Transparency graph.

Sources & ResourcesHawaii Office of Elections ↗
HI ElectionsHawaii Office of Elections
elections.hawaii.gov

Official candidate filings, voter registration, polling locations, and certified results for all Hawaii state and county races.

HI CSCCampaign Spending Commission
csc.hawaii.gov

All campaign contribution and expenditure reports. Primary source for fundraising totals, donor lists, and campaign finance analysis.

Maui CountyMayor's Office & Council
mauicounty.gov

Official county information. Mayor Bissen and all 9 council members. Office responsibilities include budget proposal, legislation, and oversight.

Election dates from Hawaii Office of Elections official announcement (February 2026). Candidate list reflects final filings as of the June 2, 2026 deadline.