Section 3-177-403 - Nomination papers; candidate name on ballot(a) A candidate's name, including the Hawaiian or English equivalent or nickname, shall be limited to twenty-seven characters; provided that the twenty-seven characters shall include punctuation and blank spaces, and shall be set on one line.(b) The name of the candidate appearing on the ballot may be the candidate's legal- name or the name, by which the candidate is most commonly known. If a candidate seeks to have a name other than, the candidate's legal name, its commonly recognized equivalent, or a prior legal name,, such as a maiden name, appear on- the ballot, the candidate, at the time of filing nomination papers shall also file a declaration in which the candidate attests to the fact that the name to- appear on the ballot, is the name by which the candidate is most commonly known throughout the district from which the candidate seeks election. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the election official may require the candidate to file a declaration, if there are questions as to whether a proposed name is in fact the commonly recognized equivalent of the candidate's legal name or if a proposed name was in fact the candidate's prior legal name.(c) The ballot shall contain the names of the candidates in the format and order specified as follows: (1) Last name in capital letters followed by a comma, followed by a blank space;(2) First name in upper and lower case letters;(3) Middle name in upper and lower case letters or initial or initials; preceded by a blank space; provided that each initial shall be followed by a period;(4) Suffix such as "Jr.'' or "III" preceded by a blank space and a comma; and(5) Nickname or Hawaiian equivalent if requested by the candidate in parenthesis preceded by a blank space.(6) An example of a correct format is: HAWAII, Jon T., Jr. (Keoni) |
(d) Titles including titles that are part of nicknames, such as Doctor, Senator, Reverend, MD, or Major, shall not be printed on the ballot.(e) Slogans shall not be printed on the ballot.(f) The chief election officer shall be authorized to conform all names printed on the ballot to the format prescribed in subsection (c).[Eff JUL 26 2020] (Auth: HRS § 11-4) (Imp: HRS §§ 11-112, 12-3)