Aloha Reader,

It's been a hard couple of weeks. Between the storms and the suffering of our neighbors in Kaʻu, we could all use a reason to see each other's smiling faces. Kona folks love a good protest, so this Friday, we're doing another on-the-street event - we'd love a big turnout.

In this publication:

• Friday: Join us to defend the vote
• The mail-voting fight, explained
• Confusion is the point
• Can't make Friday? Here's how else to plug in this week

Friday: Join us to defend the vote

We're standing with the thousands gathering at the Lincoln Memorial that same day for "March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote," the 63rd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 's 1963 event. It put civil rights squarely on the national agenda and catalyzed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech is worth listening to now more than ever. Details on our local event are below.

The mail-voting fight, explained

The bad news from this regime keeps coming, and we have to push back - we cannot let up.

This week, the mail-in voting fight moved fast. The United States Postal Service (USPS) finalized a rule that would let it collect states' mail voter lists and print special tracking barcodes on ballot envelopes - and said it wants to start the moment it's legally allowed to. Just yesterday (Monday) the Supreme Court stepped in, but only partially: it lifted a block that had covered 23 states. Hawaiʻi wasn't one of them, and our protection comes from a separate, still-standing court order.

Want more detail? National Public Radio’s (NPR's) coverage of Monday's ruling and background on the nationwide ruling protecting Hawaiʻi lay it out well.

For now, Hawaiʻi voters are protected. But don't mistake that for safety.

What's the point of all of it: confusion

The list is long of how this administration is working to undermine free and fair elections, the cornerstone of our democracy - here are just a few:

• Attorney General Todd Blanche sending 1000+ “election monitors” to polling places
• Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits demanding state voter rolls
• Congressional Republicans pushing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to demand expensive and hard-to-get IDs in order to vote
• Trump's constant pronouncements about rigged elections

Each attack discredits the elections in advance, creating a pretense for the Trump regime to challenge the results afterward in an illegal attempt to overthrow results they don't like.

Not on our watch. This Friday we can't be at the Lincoln Memorial, but we will join in solidarity with our brothers and sisters nationally to defend the vote.

When: Friday, August 28, 2026, 4:00-5:00 pm
​Where: Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway, south of Henry Street, mauka of the Mormon Temple (our usual rally spot)
​Parking: Use one of the larger lots on Henry Street. Please don't park on the road shoulder on Queen Kaʻahumanu.

RSVPs help us reach you fast if anything changes at the last minute.

TAKE ACTION: Register here​

Can't make Friday? Here's how else to plug in this week

If Friday's protest doesn't work for your schedule, we have three more ways to stay engaged.

• On Wednesday, August 26, from 5:30-6:30 pm HST, join our general election kickoff webinar with U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda - restoring democracy and voting rights, flipping the U.S. Congress blue, and getting Hawaiʻi voters to the polls, straight from the people doing the work. Register here.
• Postcarding continues every Thursday at Gypsea Gelato, where we write to swing state voters to help flip both houses of Congress blue. Join us from 1:30-3:00 pm HST at Gypsea Gelato in Kealakekua. We'll provide postcards, a script, and names and addresses; if you can, please bring your own postcard stamps. Register.
  If you'd rather write from home, pick up a postcard packet with instructions, a script, and addresses here.
• Indivisible is offering training on election protection, including things you should do now and things to be prepared for this fall. We want to ensure every eligible voter can vote, every vote is counted, and the results are honored and the winners seated. Register here.​
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Let's fight for our democracy. It's always best to meet up with others to get back the energy this regime tries to drain from us.

See you on Friday!

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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