Aloha Reader,

We're so glad Hurricane Nolo took it easy on us, and we hope you and your ʻohana stayed safe and dry. Once the storm supplies are put away, though, the everyday pressures are still here.

Groceries and fuel cost more every month, healthcare keeps getting pricier, and wages aren't keeping up. Corruption is a big reason why. When lawmakers answer to their donors instead of their voters, our lives can't get better, no matter how hard we work.

Today's newsletter follows the trail from a Hawaiʻi defense contractor to Senator Susan Collins, to a lawsuit against Act 11, our state's dark money law, to tech billionaires shaping artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto policy.

The way to break this cycle is the same everywhere: replace the politicians who serve oligarchs with ones who work for us. And do it with a turnout so massive it sends a clear message that we're onto them. Let's make this election too big to rig.

Thanks for taking the time to read our updates each week. Together, Indivisible Hawaiʻi members turn what we learn into action. Here's where to start.

In this issue

• Protecting your vote
• Dark money rears its head again
• Big tech writes its own rules
• Deep dive on Nebraska
• October 17 — No Dictators: Hands Off My Vote
• On our radar

Protecting your vote

Replacing corrupt lawmakers starts with making sure every vote counts. At yesterday's webinar, Worried about Election Interference?, we were thrilled to have experts Judith Wong of the League of Women Voters and Nandita Sharma of J20+ explain how ballots are handled and counted in Hawaiʻi. If you only have a few minutes, listen to this short clip of Judith's summary.

Since the Supreme Court blocked Trump's proposal to have the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) decide who gets ballots, the USPS will deliver mail ballots as usual for the 2026 midterm election. Mail from neighbor islands is moving more slowly because of routing changes, however, so remember to mail in your ballot early and sign up for ballot tracking.

Voting by mail in Hawaiʻi is safe. Please don't discourage anyone from returning their ballot that way, because it can backfire and end up lowering turnout.

Judith and Nandita covered much more, and you can watch the full discussion here. With the plan below, we're confident voting in Hawaiʻi will go smoothly.

Here's what you can do

1. Make a plan and vote early.
2. Sign up for ballot tracking.
3. Check in with friends and family to make sure they have early voting plans too.
4. Join a No Dictators: Hands Off My Vote protest on October 17, happening on every island (details below).
5. Join Adopt-a-Drop-Box. From October 16 to November 3, commit to passing by one of the official ballot drop boxes in your area at least once a day and be one of the eyes and ears of our movement. Learn more here.​
6. Stay informed, and learn to spot disinformation about the election and election results so you can respond.

If you join Adopt-a-Drop-Box

• Just drive, ride or walk by. Don't linger, because even with the best intentions, anyone hanging around a ballot drop box can come across as intimidating voters.
• If you see anything concerning, call the Office of Elections right away at 808-768-3800.
• On Oʻahu, if you see U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a ballot drop box, also call the Oʻahu Rapid Response Coalition (ORRC) hotline at 808-824-4707.

Dark money rears its head again

Our win, in the spotlight: Act 11, Hawaiʻi's Sunshine over Dark Money law, keeps drawing national attention, and our leadership regularly hears from people asking how we did it. We're proud to say that we all helped 😊. Every testimony, call, and message to lawmakers helped get this law on the books. The American Prospect is the latest publication to take an in-depth look at the law and our path to passing it.

Hawaiʻi to Maine: Shortly after we wrote about the Maine Senate race, ProPublica broke a story about Senator Susan Collins. According to the report, Hawaiʻi defense contractor Navatek funneled $150,000 in illegal contributions to a super political action committee (super PAC) backing Collins in 2020. Navatek's former CEO is serving a federal prison sentence for the scheme.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reportedly gathered incriminating email evidence against Collins and her campaign staff, but dropped the case in 2025 after Trump took office. Collins has had plenty of chances this week to deny the specific allegations. So far she has only deflected.

This is Corruption 101. The people stripping away healthcare, waging illegal wars, imposing unlawful tariffs, bankrupting the government, and driving inflation are the same ones taking money from oligarchs. It's not only the Trump crime family. Enablers like Susan Collins are running scams too.

Here in Hawaiʻi: The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, a libertarian think tank, is suing the state in federal court to block Act 11, which passed the Legislature 74–1. It claims the law violates the First Amendment and is too vague, and it wants the court to stop enforcement before it takes effect on July 1, 2027. Attorney General Anne Lopez has moved to dismiss the case, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii v. Lopez.

Mark your calendar: Help us pack the federal courthouse in Honolulu on Tuesday, October 13, at 2:30 pm, when the court hears both Grassroot's request to put the law on hold and the state's bid to end the lawsuit. A full courtroom shows the Attorney General, the media and the public that Hawaiʻi stands behind Act 11. We're organizing now, so watch your inbox for details on where to meet.

While we're on dark money: Representative Jill Tokuda, who serves Hawaiʻi's 2nd Congressional District (CD2), has been a dark money target before, and it looks like those donors are lining up against her again. Volunteer or donate to help reelect her.

Big tech writes its own rules

Tech billionaires have been buying influence in Washington DC so they can shape how artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto are regulated, if they're regulated at all.

When AI goes off script

OpenAI admitted Friday that some of its AI agents probed U.S. government websites this summer. The agents used login credentials they found online to pull Census Bureau data, and independent researchers caught a failed attempt to hack an Education Department site. OpenAI says most of the activity involved public information. Still, it comes just months after its agents escaped a testing environment and breached another tech company.

In the European Union (EU), makers of the most powerful AI models must report serious incidents like these to regulators. The U.S. has no federal equivalent, so we're left trusting the companies to police themselves.

For more, listen to Chris Hayes' interview with Alex Bores, a computer scientist and New York State Assembly member, on his podcast Why Is This Happening? In a video op-ed, Ezra Klein makes a simple case: keep AI under human control, and make that federal and international law.

Crypto cash

Meanwhile, the AI headlines have pushed crypto crime and corruption out of the news. Paul Krugman wrote a great essay on this, Will Crypto Crash the Blue Wave?, warning of an avalanche of crypto spending aimed at defeating Democrats nationwide. One race to watch is Sherrod Brown's Senate bid in Ohio. He's a leading critic of crypto corruption, and many observers believe crypto money helped defeat him in 2024.

Deep dive on Nebraska

Control of Congress won't be decided in Hawaiʻi alone. That's why volunteers with the Flip Congress Blue (FCB) campaign are reaching voters in close races across the country, as part of the Blue Wave. These deep dives take a closer look at those contests, so you know who you're calling for and why the outcome matters. This week, we're looking at Nebraska, where two seats are in play.

The Cornhusker State is one of four where Democrats are improving their odds this year by stepping aside for an independent. The party's Senate nominee withdrew to clear the way for Dan Osborn. His Republican opponent's response is to run ads calling Osborn a closet Democrat — ignoring the fact that fertilizer and diesel prices are hurting Nebraska farmers because of the Iran war, and soybeans are unsellable thanks to Trump’s tariffs.

Osborn is a Navy veteran, industrial mechanic, and labor union president, well known across the state after his 2024 Senate campaign. This year he faces Pete Ricketts, son of the TD Ameritrade founder and a reliable vote for the Trump agenda. SuperPAC money is flooding Nebraska to reelect Ricketts.

Take action: Phonebank for Dan Osborn​

In Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District (NE-02), which includes Omaha, Democrat Denise Powell is running for an open seat. Republican incumbent Don Bacon is retiring, which makes this one very flippable. Powell, a first-time candidate, beat well-known state senator John Cavanaugh in the primary and has drawn support from several groups, including Gabby Giffords' organization.

Take action: Phonebank for Denise Powell with Indivisible on Wednesday, October 14​

October 17 — No Dictators: Hands Off My Vote

This is shaping up to be one of the largest protests in state and national history. Like every No Dictators event, it's nonpartisan: a call to vote early and to check a corrupt, oligarchic, authoritarian regime — not a campaign rally.

Need a sign? Jane and DeWaine, two members from Hilo, are sharing their graphics for all Indivisibles to download here.

On Oʻahu, make it a double header: No Dictators at 11 am, then the Pride Parade at 3 pm.

TAKE ACTION: Find your local event and register here​

On our radar

• ICE observer training, October 25 (Honolulu): ORRC is offering training for anyone who wants to be ready to observe ICE activity, including around the November 3 election. It covers know-your-rights basics and includes role-playing practice. Register here.​
• Honolulu voters will see several charter amendments on the ballot. We're doing our research and will share more next week.

Mahalo for reading all the way to the end. Election Day is 37 days away, and every postcard, text and call brings us closer to flipping Congress. Pick one thing from today's newsletter and do it this week. Let's make it a big blue wave. 🌊🌊

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Warmest Aloha

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