Aloha Reader,

A lot happened this week — a court win on mail ballots, a swing state race heating up, and more signs that big tech is falling in line with Trump. Here's the rundown, and two things you can do about it.

In this issue:

• USPS ballot screening: this week's ruling
• Chaos is the goal
• How do you vote? Got a plan?
• Michigan: a race that could flip the House
• Take action: Blue Wave
• Also this week

USPS ballot screening: this week's ruling

Since our last issue, the legal fight over the United States Postal Service's (USPS's) new ballot-screening system has intensified. This week, a whistleblower alleged that USPS planned to reject entire batches of mail ballots over minor address mismatches. Friday, a federal judge sided with 24 state attorneys general and the League of Women Voters, issuing a nationwide injunction to stop USPS from putting its plan into practice. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has submitted an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court.

Chaos is the goal

There will be an overwhelming amount of lost-in-the-weeds reporting about these legal maneuvers. Skip the minutiae. Remember three things:

1. Chaos is the point. Whatever happens with actual votes, confusion gives Trump cover to declare — with no legal authority — the election "rigged" and invalid.
2. When Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base lose tactically, they escalate. The DOJ tried and failed to get state voter rolls in 30 separate lawsuits. Now they're trying the USPS scheme. Remember the pattern from 2020: after 60-plus lawsuits challenging the election results failed, Trump's team threatened secretaries of state to "find" votes, then created phony alternate electors, then pressured Vice President Pence, then attacked the Capitol and its police on January 6. Since regaining power in 2025, Trump has pardoned the violent insurrectionists, tried to set up a payoff fund for them, and is now recruiting them into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
3. Federal election-security defenses have been gutted. Starting with the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) in early 2025, the administration dismantled much of the federal cybersecurity capacity that helps states defend elections against foreign interference. Expect allegations of foreign interference this fall, whether real, imagined, or invented outright.

Let's celebrate every tactical legal win, but we can never declare victory or drop our guard.

Historian Timothy Snyder, who spent his career studying how democracies fall, put it plainly this week: this is "probably the most consequential" election since the 18th century. The administration is bent on undoing the republic, he argues, so defeating it at the ballot box isn't optional — it's essential for protecting our democracy.

How do you vote? Got a plan?

USPS delays mean the safest move, for your vote to count, is not to depend on the mail at all. If you can, skip it entirely: drop your ballot at a secure dropbox, or head to a voter service center and vote in person. Both routes bypass the mail system altogether.

If you do mail your ballot, do it early — don't wait until the final days when a single processing snag can mean it arrives too late to count.

Once your ballot's 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. Vote early, and know where your vote stands.

TAKE ACTION: This isn't just about your own vote. Here's a challenge: reach out to 10 people this week. Friends, family, that cousin you haven't called in a while, especially anyone in a swing state. Ask them directly: do you have a plan? How are you voting, when, and what's your backup if something goes wrong?

If everyone in this community reaches 10 people, that's thousands of voters with a real plan instead of good intentions. This is how elections actually get won: not by one person doing everything, but by all of us doing one small thing at the same time. Walk them through their options, offer to help them find their state's dropbox or early voting site, and don't let the conversation end until they've said out loud what their plan actually is.

November is coming: vote, vote, vote, and make it too big to rig.

Michigan: a race that could flip the House

Michigan's Congressional District 7 is one of the most competitive House races in the country. Community organizer William Lawrence, endorsed by National Indivisible, is challenging incumbent Tom Barrett, who has voted in lockstep with Trump since taking office. Lawrence has spent years fighting for renters and clean water in Michigan, and his campaign connects environmental health directly to the everyday cost of living.

Michigan is also home to another important National Indivisible-endorsed U.S. Senate race: Abdul El-Sayed, a physician running on getting money out of politics and passing Medicare for All. American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and others tried to paint El-Sayed as an extremist, but the attacks are backfiring. To see El-Sayed handle a hostile environment, watch him outwit Fox host Jesse Watters in this interview.

Take action: Blue Wave

Indivisible Hawaii State Network’s (IHSN's) Blue Wave program organizes phone and textbanking and postcarding for six targeted races this cycle — Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, and Ohio. Because Hawaiʻi is so far from the continent, our volunteers focus on what we can do remotely, and a friendly postcard from Hawaiʻi stands out precisely because these states get less outreach than the most heavily targeted swing states. All six races matter, but Michigan needs us in particular this week — read the full strategy behind our six target states if you want the details.

TAKE ACTION: Join a phonebank shift for Abdul El-Sayed or William Lawrence — every call helps flip a seat that could decide control of the House.

Can't make a phonebank shift? Here are a few more ways to pitch in on various campaigns this week, in person or from home:

• ​Honolulu Postcard Party — Saturdays
• ​Kailua Weekly Postcard Party — Wednesday evenings
• ​Kailua-Kona Sunday Postcard Party — first Sunday of the month
• ​Kealakekua Postcard Party — every Thursday
• ​Hawaiʻi Kai Weekly Postcard Party & Potluck — Thursday evenings
• ​Waimea Postcarding — every Tuesday

​See all Blue Wave events →​

Also this week

Tech giants are falling in line. Apple Maps followed Google Maps this week in relabeling Lake Ontario as "Lake America," complying with Trump's executive order on the lake's name. It's a striking reversal for a company that once built its identity on defying conformity: in its famous 1984 Super Bowl ad, a lone runner smashes the screen broadcasting Big Brother's message to the masses. The switch came the same week a federal judge rejected DOJ's push to break up Google's ad tech business. Both companies face ongoing federal antitrust scrutiny, a pattern critics say reflects an effort to stay in the administration's good graces.

On our radar: Hawai'i's National Guard troops sent to DC still haven't returned. We haven't forgotten about our fellow neighbors being deployed.

The Hawaiʻi Immigration and Inclusion Conference is September 30. Our partner, the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights, is hosting this conference at the East-West Center on immigrant inclusion, equity, and belonging. We are excited to see this broad community come together and look forward to joining several of the panels. Register here.

Save the date 🎉🎉🎉: the next nationwide No Kings/No Dictators protest is set for October 17. We're already working behind the scenes on Hawai'i's participation — more details soon.

Enjoy the long weekend, and we'll see you at the next postcarding party!

Bring a friend, bring your ʻohana, bring anyone who's ever wondered if their vote counts. It does, and this November, we're going to prove it. Mahalo for everything you do.

Warmest Aloha

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