Aloha Reader,

What a weekend 🤩🤩. Hundreds of us filled the highway in Kona on Saturday to say No Dictators: Hands Off My Vote, part of 8,400 people rallying across the islands. Now the ballots are in our mailboxes, and the most important thing any of us can do this week is simple: vote, then make sure everyone we know votes too.

Election Day is two weeks out, but in Hawaiʻi and many other states, voting is already underway. Early turnout is running high in swing states like Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio, and Democratic voters are showing up with real enthusiasm. That’s the kind of turnout we need to make this election too big to rig.

In this issue

• No Dictators in Kona: biggest rally on Hawai'i Island
• Ballots are here: vote now
• 13,000 postcards and counting
• Act 11 in the courtroom
• Keeping an eye on the County
• Save the date: year-end celebration
• Staying alert

No Dictators in Kona: biggest rally on Hawai'i Island

Mahalo nui to everyone who came out on Saturday. Between 500 and 600 of you joined us in Kona, the largest rally on the island. It was a beautiful (if hot) day, and we even got a rainbow. Neighbors also rallied in Hilo, Waimea, Waikoloa, and Kaʻū, and statewide, 8,400 people showed up to remind their communities to vote early.
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Photos and video from Saturday are going up on our public Facebook group. Share yours there, tag us, and show how big Kona turned out!

Ballots are here: vote now

Your ballot should have arrived by now. If it hasn’t, check your registration with the state elections office.

In the spirit of the weekend’s rally, vote early: fill it out and send it back this week. To be safe, mail it by Tuesday, October 27. After that, use a drop box or a voter service center before 7:00 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. In Kona, the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center has both. You’ll find other drop box locations on the county elections page.

For the two state constitutional amendments, we recommend to review this Hawai'i Public radio article.

TAKE ACTION: ask everyone you see if they’ve voted. You’d be surprised how many people mean to and just don’t get to it. A friendly reminder this week can be the nudge that gets a ballot in the mail.

13,000 postcards and counting

KIND members sent more than 13,000 postcards in 2026. INCREDIBLE 📬🎉
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We wrote to Native women in Arizona, to newly registered Democrats in Virginia, and to voters in states where a few hundred votes could decide the outcome. Together with other Indivisible chapters across Hawaiʻi, we helped drive the turnout we’re seeing now. Whether you wrote with us on Sundays at Kahaluʻu Beach Park, at Gypsea Gelato, or at your own kitchen table, mahalo nui loa.

TAKE ACTION: pick up the phone. Postcarding season is wrapping up, and the final stretch belongs to phone and text banking. You can do it from home, on your own schedule. Sign up for a session on our events page.

Act 11 in the courtroom

Last Tuesday, Act 11, Hawaiʻi’s Sunshine over Dark Money law, had its first hearing in federal court. Act 11 changes state corporation law so that corporations can’t spend money to influence our elections. The State asked the judge to dismiss the case, arguing that the Grassroot Institute, the group challenging Act 11, lacks standing. In other words, the State says Act 11 hasn’t harmed the group, so it has no right to sue. There’s no ruling yet, but Courthouse News Service reports the judge seems unlikely to dismiss, so the lawsuit will probably move forward.

This will be a tough fight, and people across the country are watching and cheering us on. Americans universally dislike dark money in politics, yet court decisions have let it grow. We will keep fighting, showing up, and standing in support.

Bookmark the Act 11 lawsuit tracker to follow each development, and watch for an update in the next IHSN newsletter.

Keeping an eye on the County

We continue to monitor the Hawaiʻi County Police Department and Police Commission, along with County discussions on data centers, surveillance cameras, and other critical issues. Some good news: the Leeward Planning Commission approved Bill 170, which effectively bans industrial-scale data centers in the county. It's not an outright ban, but it makes it much harder.

Save the date: year-end celebration

MARK YOUR CALENDAR. After the year we’ve had, we’ve earned a party. Join us on Saturday, December 12 at Kahaluʻu Beach Park to celebrate all we’ve done together, catch up with friends, and have a little fun. More details coming soon.

Staying alert

Democrats’ chances of flipping Congress have improved. Data journalist G. Elliott Morris studied how far off Senate polls have historically been, and when he applied that to this year’s races, the result could land anywhere from 47 to 56 Democratic senators. Read his analysis.

Whatever the results, expect a fight over them. Trump keeps using federal power to pressure states and sow distrust in our elections, and election deniers now hold positions in many red states and counties. It’s likely he’ll claim fraud and try to block certification. The good news: voters and election observers across the country are more prepared for that than ever. Indivisible will stay vigilant through the counting, the certification, and the seating of the new Congress in January, and we’ll let you know right away if there’s a call to action.

So rest up. We’re hoping for a blue tsunami on November 3, and we’ll be ready for whatever comes after.

If you haven’t voted yet, vote now, and bring your friends and family along. Know someone who wants to stay in the loop? Forward this newsletter and invite them to subscribe.
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Warmest Aloha
Sam & the KIND Leadership Team

Want to support our work? Donate here​ ​​​​ P.S. You may also receive the Sunday newsletter from the Indivisible Hawai'i Statewide Network, which includes both national and state news. Our newsletter emphasizes county and local events and actions specific to the Kona Coast of the Big Island.

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