Kauai County mails 2026 primary ballots, shares drop box locations

Ballots for Kauai's 2026 Primary Election were mailed July 16 and should start showing up in mailboxes now, with the Office of Elections telling voters to look for their primary packet on July 21. The election is set for Saturday, Aug. 8, and county officials say completed ballots must be received by 7 p.m. that day.

Kauai voters who do not have a ballot by July 27 should contact the County Elections Division at 4386 Rice Street, Room 101, Līhue, Hawaii 96766. The office is open Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding federal and state holidays, and can be reached at (808) 241-4800 or elections@kauai.gov. Hawaii’s all-mail voting system automatically sends a ballot to each registered voter at least 18 days before the election, so the mailing is the key signal that the clock has started.

County officials also said ballot drop boxes have been deployed and are available for voters who do not want to rely on postage. The Office of Elections maintains statewide locations for voter service centers and ballot drop boxes, and voter service centers will open July 27 and remain open through Election Day. For Kauai residents in Līhue, Kapaa, Kōloa, Hanapepe and surrounding communities, that means there are now multiple ways to return a ballot before the deadline, but every return option still depends on getting the packet back in time.

The practical step is simple: open the packet as soon as it arrives, confirm the address, and decide whether to mail it back, use a drop box, or bring it to a voter service center. Residents who have moved recently should pay close attention to where the packet is addressed, since a missing or delayed ballot can usually be resolved only if the county is notified quickly. The most important date after the mail drop is July 27, when anyone still waiting on a ballot should contact the Elections Division without delay.

With the primary now moving from mailing season to return season, Kauai voters have a short runway to make sure their ballot reaches election officials by 7 p.m. Aug. 8.