Student Elections

Mahalo for learning more about the student government election process and, hopefully, for taking an interest in running for an elected seat or putting forward your nomination for an appointed role. Below, you can learn more about the timeline for this school year.

School Year 2026-2027 Student Elections Timeline*:

• March 31, 2026 - Election packet up 

• April 13, 2026 - Eligibility Checks begin; must be eligible before campaigning begins

• April 14, 2026 - Campaigning window can begin once cleared through eligibility check and materials approved

• April 15, 2026 - Grade 10 and ASKS Candidate Forum - in Keawe during Hoʻōla

• April 17, 2026 - Deadline to Submit Interest Form and Campaign Materials for Gr. 9 - 11

• April 17, 2026 -Grade 11 and ASKS Candidate Forum - in Keawe during Hoʻōla

• April 21, 2026 - Grade 9 and ASKS Candidate Forum - in Kekuʻiapoiwa during Hoʻōla 

• April 28 - May 1, 2026 - Voting for Gr. 9-11

• May 8, 2026 - Gr. 9-11 Election Results Shared In-Person during Hoʻōla; announced broadly after that

• May 20, 2026 - Celebration during lunch for the newly elected council

• May 23, 2026 - Elected Officers are expected to kōkua by serving as a student usher at the Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2026 (available between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.)

• June 30, 2026 - Deadline for Class of 2030 candidates to file for class office

• July 24, 2026 - ʻAha Lei Kipona Election panel for Class of 2030 

• July 24 - July 31 - Voting for Class of 2030

• August 5 - Election Results for Class of 2030 shared with candidates in-person, followed by all school announcement 

*Dates may be subject to change pending any school schedule updates.

*Class of 2030 - please note: for the Recommendation section, any administrator, teacher or counselor at your current middle school is eligible to recommend you for office. 

What is Student Government?

Student Government is a formally recognized and organized pathway for student voice. Students are elected as representatives to fulfill various duties and set the direction, frequency, and types of events and activities throughout the school year. Students can access designated class and school-wide funds to plan and execute these initiatives. For students who do participate, it is an opportunity to learn about governance, operations, communication, leadership, accountability, and organization. Students can develop and build these skills by participating through council meetings, and through hands-on practice during the pre-event, event, and post-event process. 

What is the ASKS Student Council? 

ASKS stands for Associated Students of Kamehameha Schools. The ASKS Student Council is the elected governing body of the Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi High School. Its role is to demonstrate the values and characteristics and practice alakaʻi lawelawe(servant leadership). The council is elected by the student body, also known as ASKS. 

For more details, refer to: 

• Article III: Student Body 

• Article IV: ASKS Student Council 

• Article V: Qualifications for ASKS Student Council Officers 

• Article VI: Nomination, Election, or Appointment of ASKS Student Council Officers 

What is the kuleana of elected officers? 

Elected officers are part of a chartered group that works with their assigned Class Advisor to plan and execute activities and projects for their Class. Known as the Class Executive Board, they will meet regularly with their Advisor to organize events throughout the school year. Class Executive Board can also appoint up to two class representatives to serve on the ASKS Student Council and participate in weekly meetings to support school-wide events.

Elected and Appointed officers are responsible for serving their peers, and that requires a strong commitment of both time and energy. In addition to their regular school duties, officers may need to dedicate time outside of school hours. The role involves being present and engaged in every aspect of the work, including designing plans, executing events, and handling follow-up tasks before, during, and after each event. This requires organization, proactiveness, and the ability to balance multiple responsibilities to ensure everything runs smoothly. Council members should be available for their class event dates on the school year calendar and coordinate any scheduling conflicts directly with their advisor and fellow council members.

What is the kuleana of an appointed class representative?

Any ASKS member who meets the requirements in Article V, Section 1, may be nominated for the appointed position of class representative or alternate. Class representatives serve as a bridge between the ASKS and the Class Executive Board, supporting both class and school-wide events.

Campaign Materials

Running an effective campaign includes producing materials that tell your story and why your peers should elect you as a leader. In addition to the responses gathered through the application, there are three opportunities to enhance your story of who you are and why you want to represent your peers in this distinguished role.

There are three pieces you can submit with your application: 

• a photo of yourself you would like included on the ballot

  • Photo should be school appropriate

  • Assistance is available with a new headshot if you would like

  • If no photo is submitted, a yearbook photo will be used instead

• a video statement that will be included on a candidate forum and posted to the askshawaii IG

  • Video limit is 1 minute

  • Assistance is available with recording if you would like

• a campaign flyer that can be hung around campus

  • Each candidate can submit a campaign flyer for approval by the Student Life Center to be hung during the campaign window. In doing so, you commit to also removing your flyers after the campaign is done. 

  • There is a limit of two flyers per building. 

  • Flyers should only be placed on windows using painter's tape or on any designated bulletin boards. Flyers can also be posted to the askshawaii instagram channel and will be done so in the order in which they are received. Flyers are limited to 8.5" x 11" in size.