We help the people of Kailua-Kona take political actions that promote inclusion, tolerance, and fairness.
KIND Weekly: Hungary, Serbia, Brazil… the US is next!
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This year, voters in three countries have shown the world that strongman politics can be beaten at the ballot box. In April, Hungarians turned out in record numbers to end Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, even after JD Vance flew in to campaign for him. And just this Sunday, Serbia’s student-led movement ousted Aleksandar Vučić after 12 years, while Brazilians chose Lula over Flávio Bolsonaro, Trump’s ally and the son of a former president convicted of plotting a coup. None of these wins came easy. Orbán controlled most of Hungary’s media and redrew the voting districts in his favor. Serbia’s students spent two years in the streets before they ever got on a ballot. Lula lost the first round and was trailing behind, but ended up with over 4 Million more votes. In every case, people showed up anyway, in numbers too big to ignore. They are proof that we can make our voices heard and put the right people in office. We have 7 days to go. Let’s make the vote too big to rig. In this issue
If you haven’t voted yet: drop boxes and voter guidesYou still have a few days, but don’t wait. Ballots are due at the Office of Elections by 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3, so the safest bet is to skip the mail and drop it off at a drop box near you. Still deciding on a race? The state voter guide and Civil Beat’s coverage can help. Once your ballot is in the mail (or the dropbox), don't just wonder — track it. BallotTrax tells you the moment your ballot is received and accepted, so you know your vote actually counted instead of hoping for the best. TAKE ACTION: Go vote and take your friends and family with you 😊 State amendments on your ballotYour ballot includes two proposed constitutional amendments. Question 1 would extend the time the state Senate has to consider judicial appointments from 30 to 60 days, for appointments made between April 1 and December 31 when the Senate is out of session or about to adjourn. Read Civil Beat’s coverage. Question 2 would direct the Legislature to let counties issue bonds for public improvements in designated districts. The bonds would be repaid only by future growth in property tax revenue within those districts, not by raising property tax rates, and would not count toward the counties’ debt limits. They would be subject to accountability and oversight requirements set by law. Read Civil Beat’s coverage. One thing to know: if you leave a constitutional amendment blank, it counts as a “no” vote, so be sure to mark your choice on each. Our Hawaiʻi Island charter amendmentBig Island ballots also carry one county charter amendment, the only one on our ballot this year. Charter Question 1 would allow the County Auditor to hire a deputy and give the auditor the same authority over office staff that executive branch department heads have. Some background: the auditor’s office conducts financial and performance audits of county agencies and programs. Audits can’t be released without the auditor’s signature, and the position sat vacant for four months before current auditor Clare McAdam was hired last December. Supporters, including McAdam and the County Council, which passed the measure unanimously, say a deputy would provide a clear line of succession during vacancies. If it passes, the office would reclassify one of its existing budgeted positions rather than add a new one. Read Civil Beat’s coverage, and see everything else on your Hawaiʻi County ballot. ICE Out for Good: pop-up rally November 1Back on the streets! Hats off to Ellen for organizing our next pop-up protest. ICE Out for Good: Día de los Muertos Day of Action. No one is safe when ICE is on our streets or holding people in more than 200 abuse-ridden detention centers. We will come together on November 1 to honor the people we’ve lost and demand:
WHEN: Sunday, November 1, 4:00–5:00 pm WHERE: Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway, south of Henry Street, mauka of the Mormon Temple (our usual spot) PARKING: There is some parking on the grass behind the Temple, but please use one of the larger lots on Henry Street if you can. Do not park on the shoulder of the highway. We'll have several large signs, but please bring your own highlighting the issue you care about most. It gets hot out there, so pack water and a hat 😊 TAKE ACTION: RSVP on Mobilize - it helps us reach you if plans change at the last minute. Save the date: year-end celebration December 12KIND will host a year-end celebration on December 12. We hope you’ll join us to celebrate all the hard work we’ve done this year, socialize, and have a little fun. We’re still in the planning stages, so watch for more details soon. MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Saturday, December 12, Kahaluʻu Beach Park Mahalo for all you do. Hungary, Serbia, and Brazil showed what happens when people refuse to sit on the sidelines. Let’s generate a blue tsunami on November 3. We know it won’t be the end of the fight, so rest up for what comes after. Warmest Aloha
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Kona Indivisible
We help the people of Kailua-Kona take political actions that promote inclusion, tolerance, and fairness.
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...
Aloha Reader, For more than a year, millions of Americans have joined together around one simple message: this country has no kings. Power doesn’t belong to billionaires, strongmen, or politicians who think the rules don’t apply to them. It rests with the people, as long as we exercise it. Tomorrow, Saturday, October 17, from 4:00-5:00 pm, we put that power to work with a peaceful sign-waving protest on Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway, south of Henry Street, behind the Mormon temple. Kona’s rally is...
Aloha Reader, Three weeks from today is Election Day, and this week brings four ways for you to help: a rally Saturday, our last postcard party of the season, a say on police cameras in our county, and your own ballot arriving in the mail. Will the election be too big to rig? We know Trump will try any chance he has. He's spent years sowing doubt about election integrity. It's been his number one topic since he's been back in the White House. He's actually attacked election integrity more...