Aloha Reader,

Thursday was unsettling — and it's exactly why this primary matters. Lieutenant Governor (LG) Sylvia Luke and three other current and former state officials were arraigned on bribery and conspiracy charges tied to a 12-count grand jury indictment.

Citizens hate corruption, because it breaks the basic deal of government: we vote public servants into office trusting them to serve our interests, not their own. When that trust is broken, it puts the whole system in question. That's why showing up to vote matters — it's how we hold that trust to account.

There's a lot to cover this week, so grab a coffee — here's what's inside:

What's inside

• 6 days left in our primary
• Jarrett vs. Ed
• Della, fighting to end pay-to-play contracting
• Tracking the surveillance state
• Federal news: cruelty and cronyism are obviously still the point
• Watching federalism with fresh eyes
• On our radar

State News

6 days left in our primary

Your primary ballot is due at the Elections Office Saturday, August 8, by 7:00 pm — not just postmarked. If you're mailing it, send it by Monday, August 3. If it's not in the mail by then, drop it in a secure drop box instead.

Our choices are clear in the two races we've endorsed, and you've heard us talk about them often: Jarrett Keohokalole for Congressional District 1 (CD1) seat and Della Au Belatti for Lieutenant Governor. Both candidates have earned that trust as longtime public servants who don't take dark money.

For every other race on your ballot, we know it's harder to sort out where candidates stand. That's why we point you to the Civil Beat Primary Guide — a solid, independent resource for the rest of your choices.

We'll know the election results in a week.

Consider hosting a watch party for Saturday night — it's a great way to bring friends together around a common purpose. In Honolulu, Indivisibles and Della supporters will gather at Aloha Beer Company in Kakaʻako from 6–9 pm, with a $20 contribution at the door (pupus included). Register here.

Jarrett vs. Ed

On Thursday, Indivisible National co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg featured Jarrett on their weekly show, What's the Plan. The full segment is worth watching here:

Ezra opens by making the case that this primary could reshape a lot more than one seat in Congress, then reviews U.S. Representative Ed Case's record. He compares Case to a Formula 1 car covered in sponsor logos, naming American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Amazon, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Boeing, Capital One, Charter Communications, Comcast, FedEx, and Google — you get the idea. See the full donor list here. Be sure to scroll through the 13 pages. It's eye-opening! 👀

State Senator Jarrett Keohokalole then answers questions about Act 11 (SB 2471), Hawai'i's new law to get dark money out of elections. It was great to hear Jarrett describe the “inside-outside” approach, with champions inside the legislature, and the citizens’ lobby outside the legislature, where Indivisible Hawai'i Statewide Network (IHSN) was the lead advocate. Ezra and Leah call it a model other states should follow.

Jarrett's takeaway: “When you speak from the heart, people will come to your side. When you see passion and energy in the community, you need to get behind it.”

Leah closes by calling him a fighter — someone who combines moral outrage and strategic energy. He's exactly the kind of representative we need to reshape the Democratic Party and stand up to the Trump regime.

TAKE ACTION

• For a last push, Indivisible National will be hosting phone banking for Jarrett's campaign on Thursday, August 6, at 3 pm HST.
• Find other phonebanking, textbanking and canvassing opportunities to support Jarrett on Mobilize.

Della, fighting to end pay-to-play contracting

Thursday's arraignment spurred Representative Della Au Belatti to convene the Good Government Caucus (GGC) for a special hearing and held a press conference right afterwards. As she and GGC co-chairs Kanani Souza and State Senator Karl Rhoads explained, the goal is to eliminate the pay-to-play loophole in state law.

Specifically, the GGC is calling for a special legislative session to enact a law that closes that loophole. Their reasoning: act now, while this scandal creates urgency, since fundraising for the next cycle will begin right after November's general election.

It's a brilliant move and smart timing by Della. Her push against dark money is consistent with her record, and the contrast with her opponent is stark. In the last 10 days alone, we've received 5 flyers from "For a Better Tomorrow" — the Super PAC backed by Pacific Resource Partnership (PRP). As today’s Civil Beat reports, the PRP Super PAC has spent more than $2 million on Kawakami’s campaign. We did a deep dive on this PRP Super PAC if you want the full picture. We've also seen countless TV ads promoting Derek Kawakami, her opponent in the Lieutenant Governor race. Della speaks openly against corruption in front of the cameras. Derek lets anonymous money do his advertising for him.

TAKE ACTION: If you want to help Della win, phone banking, canvassing, and sign-waving shifts are all on Mobilize.

Tracking the surveillance state

We're concerned about the many tentacles of a growing surveillance state, one where the federal government can collect and access our private data with little oversight. This started taking shape with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in early 2025. State Senator Jarrett Keohokalole has been a strong check on this in the legislature — his opposition helped stop House Bill 1588, a bill that would have opened the door to statewide license plate camera surveillance.

This has been on our radar for a while, but now it's time to act. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-contractor-turned-Homeland-Security-vendor Palantir, is recruiting staff in Honolulu. We object to Palantir mining Hawai'i residents' data on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

This one's Oʻahu-specific, but it matters for all of us — wherever you are, send some good energy to our Honolulu ʻohana as they show up for this. We're joining ACLU Hawai'i and J20+ to protest Palantir's presence.

TAKE ACTION: Join us Monday, August 10, 12–1 pm HST, in front of their offices at the Pacific Guardian Center Mauka Tower, 737 Bishop St. Register here.

Federal news

Cruelty and cronyism are obviously still the point

Three stories broke within hours of each other Friday:

• Federal Government Abruptly Cut These Hawai'i Markets From Food Stamps Program (Link)
• Trump Administration Plans to Upend Head Start by Deregulating It (Link)
• Trump questioned about "anti-weaponization" fund during Cabinet meeting at Camp David (Link)

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) cut several Hawai'i markets and food hubs from SNAP (food assistance) over paperwork technicalities, cutting off hundreds of local families' access to groceries. The Trump administration is preparing to strip Head Start's federal standards on class sizes, health screenings, and disability services. And at Camp David, Trump waffled about his $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate January 6 insurrectionists — refusing to declare it dead in writing and making clear he wants it revived.

As written, these three appear unrelated, yet they all share a common thread: do we want a government that shows up for its citizens, or one run by a small circle of people deciding things for the rest of us while enriching themselves?

Indivisibles don't. That's why we fight this hard, and it's exactly why this primary matters.

Watching federalism with fresh eyes

These times often feel heavy, especially with the primary in its last stretch — but we see people fighting back everywhere, in courtrooms and legislatures as much as at the ballot box. Alexander Silvert covered an opinion by Associate Justice Todd Eddins and the Chief Justice of the Hawai'i Supreme Court.

As Silvert writes, the opinion argues that Hawai'i's constitutional due process protections don't have to follow the U.S. Supreme Court's shrinking version of due process. As the opinion puts it: "Federalism is not a formality. It is the architecture." The framers built dual sovereignty into the structure of American government specifically as a check against concentrated federal power — and a Supreme Court that keeps reaching for power that belongs to the people is exactly the situation that check was designed for.

It's a good reminder of why state and local government matters: our state government is one of our strongest defenses against federal overreach.

On our radar

• National Guard recall: We're still waiting for Governor Josh Green to recall the Hawai'i National Guard troops sent to Washington, D.C. IHSN joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Hawai'i, Hawai'i Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and other organizations in a letter urging the recall, but as of late July, the troops remain deployed. Their mission is slated to end near the end of August, though it could be extended.
• Free and fair elections: They don't happen by accident, and here in Hawai'i, we have Scott Nago to thank for that. As our Chief Election Officer, he's the steady hand behind the process that makes sure every vote counts. In case you missed it last week, here's his award and audience Q&A: Vote! Our lives depend on it.

Thanks for sticking with us through an extra long newsletter this week. There was a lot to share, and every bit of it matters for these final 6 days. The choices are clear. The impact is nationwide. Time to win. Let's get out the vote — and see you at a watch party!

Aloha,

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