If you live in Hawaiʻi, you have more elected representatives than you might think. Depending on where you live, you could have five, six, or even more officials whose job it is to represent you — at the federal, state, and county levels. Each level draws its district lines differently, which means figuring out who represents you isn't always as simple as looking up your address once.
Here's a breakdown of each level, what your representatives do, and how to find yours.
For a broader overview of how the three levels of government work in Hawaiʻi, see our explainer on How Hawaiʻi's 3 levels of government work.
Federal level: find your US senators and representative
Every resident of Hawaiʻi is represented by the same two US senators. Senators represent the entire state, so there's nothing to look up; they're yours regardless of where you live.
Your US representative, however, depends on which of Hawaiʻi's two congressional districts you live in. Congressional District 1 (CD1) covers most of urban Oʻahu, including Honolulu. Congressional District 2 (CD2) covers the rest of Oʻahu and all of the neighbor islands.
To find your US representative: Go to the US House of Representatives website and enter your ZIP code.
State level: find your state senator and state representative
The Hawaiʻi State Legislature has two chambers: the State Senate (25 members) and the State House of Representatives (51 members). You have one representative in each. State legislative districts are drawn independently of congressional districts, so your state and federal representatives almost certainly cover different geographic areas.
To find your state senator and state representative: Go to the Hawaiʻi State Legislature's Find Your Legislator tool and enter your street name. You'll get the names and contact details for both.
County level: find your mayor and county council member
Hawaiʻi has four counties, each with its own elected mayor and county council. Your county is determined by which island you live on:
- City and County of Honolulu (Oʻahu)
- County of Maui (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe)
- County of Hawaiʻi (the Big Island)
- County of Kauaʻi (Kauaʻi and Niʻihau)
Your county mayor represents the whole county, so like the US senators, they're the same for everyone in your county. County council members, however, are district-based in Honolulu and Hawaiʻi County, and residency-area-based in Maui County.
Kauaʻi County works differently: all seven council members are elected at large by the entire county, so every Kauaʻi resident can contact any of them.
To find your county council member:
- Honolulu: Use the Honolulu City Council's Find My Councilmember tool and enter your address.
- Hawaiʻi County (Big Island): Visit the Hawaiʻi County Council Members and Districts page and browse by district to find who covers your area.
- Maui County: Use the Maui County Residency Area Finder to find your residency area, then check the Maui County Council members page to see who represents it.
- Kauaʻi County: Visit the Kauaʻi County Council page — all seven council members represent the whole county, so you can contact any of them.
The Hawaiʻi naming confusion: State, County, or Big Island?
The word "Hawaiʻi" refers to three different things at once: the state, one of the four counties, and the Big Island itself. If you live in Kailua-Kona or Waikoloa, for example, you live on the Island of Hawaiʻi, in the County of Hawaiʻi, which is in the State of Hawaiʻi. Three levels, one name.
On top of that, as you've now seen, the district lines are different at every level of government. Your county council district, your state legislative districts, and your congressional district are all drawn separately. It just means you need to look up each one individually.
Don't want to figure it out yourself?
Subscribe to the IHSN newsletter. When action is needed on a specific bill or issue, we'll tell you exactly who to contact and what to say — so you don't have to do the research every time.
Once you know who your representatives are, the next step is reaching out. Check out our related resource: How to contact your representative.