Aloha Reader,

We’re living through one of the most dangerous times in our history, and the whiplash of bad news can feel relentless. The only way through is to stay calm and focus on the course ahead. That’s why we reach out to our Indivisible ʻohana every Sunday with clear action items that make a difference.

This issue is full of ways to take part, large and small. The two that count most this week: show up in court on Tuesday, and join a protest near you on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Act 11, Hawaiʻi’s law to bring hidden political spending into the light, has its first hearing in federal court. Dark money is one of the biggest reasons our lives aren’t getting better. When corporations quietly bankroll campaigns, lawmakers answer to their funders instead of to us. A packed courtroom shows the judge and the media that residents here care how our elections are paid for.

On Saturday, a nationwide day of action kicks off the call to vote early. On the mainland it’s called No Kings. Here, we’ve named it No Dictators, out of respect for Hawaiʻi’s history of aliʻi (chiefs and kings). For island residents, voting early means filling out your mail ballot and sending it back as soon as it arrives, a small act that keeps democracy working. Ballots go out this week, and Election Day is 23 days away.

In this issue

• Act 11: pack the courtroom Tuesday
• No Dictators: day of action and early voting Saturday
• Jill Tokuda at the Civil Beat forum and a Friday webinar
• Hawaiʻi Immigration & Inclusion Conference recap
• Deep dive on Iowa: Josh Turek plus three flippable House seats
• On the radar

Act 11: pack the courtroom Tuesday

Together, we Indivisibles helped shepherd Act 11, the Sunshine over Dark Money law, through the state legislature. As we anticipated, the fight has now moved to federal court, and the first hearing is Tuesday. To prepare, Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide Network (IHSN) hosted a webinar Wednesday with Representative Della Au Belatti and Tom Moore of the Center for American Progress on where the legal cases stand. If you missed it, catch up on our new Act 11 explainer, which tracks every development.

The lawsuits

Two challenges are now before the federal court in Honolulu. The Grassroot Institute, a Hawaiʻi affiliate of a national think tank, filed first, arguing the law violates corporations’ First Amendment right to free speech. The US Chamber of Commerce, a Washington, DC-based business group, filed later and targets the part of the law covering out-of-state corporations.

Judge Leslie Kobayashi will hear the two cases separately. The state argues the plaintiffs lack standing, meaning they haven’t shown the law harms them directly enough to sue. The Center for American Progress and the Campaign Legal Center have filed briefs supporting the state.

Why this is bigger than one law

The fight over Act 11 mirrors the dark money problem itself: out-of-state players are driving the lawsuits. Grassroot Institute is funded by its national office, a Koch-funded organization. The US Chamber of Commerce is suing, but the Chamber of Commerce Hawai`i is not part of the lawsuit.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) shows the same split. Its national office filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief backing Grassroot on First Amendment grounds, but the ACLU of Hawaiʻi did not sign on. If you’re a member, please thank the Hawaiʻi chapter, and when you donate, choose the local organization.

Other states are watching. Seventeen considered similar bills this year, and a Montana ballot initiative gathered more signatures than required. If the court declines to block Act 11, it strengthens the case for others to follow.

Public opinion counts as much as the ruling

Whatever the court decides, these cases put dark money in the spotlight, and that’s our opening. Voters across the spectrum, left and right, dislike how hidden spending warps politics here and nationwide. When Indivisibles amplify the issue, we show people a solution exists.

Hawaiʻi has led before. In 1993, our state supreme court’s Baehr v. Lewin decision sparked the national fight for marriage equality. Over the next two decades, public opinion shifted, and the US Supreme Court followed in 2015. Change like that happens when citizens keep showing up.

TAKE ACTION: Pack the courtroom on Tuesday, October 13, at 3 pm. Note the new time: the hearing was originally set for 2:30 pm. The federal courthouse is in the Prince Kūhiō Federal Building, at the corner of Punchbowl Street and Ala Moana Boulevard. Arrive early to clear security, and bring a jacket, since it can be cold inside.

A full room tells the court, and the media covering it, that this issue matters to the people of Hawaiʻi.

Not on Oʻahu? You can still make your voice heard. Share our Act 11 explainer with friends, and send a short letter to the editor of your local paper, whether that’s the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, West Hawaii Today, The Maui News or The Garden Island. Tell them why getting dark money out of our elections matters to you.

No Dictators: day of action and early voting Saturday

On Saturday, October 17, people across the country take to the streets with one message: hands off my vote. The day of action launches the national push to vote early, and media nationwide will be covering it. Bring friends, join an event on your island, and capture the moment. Photos and short videos shared on social media carry our message far beyond the crowd.

Ballots should land in Hawaiʻi mailboxes around October 16, just in time. There’s no better way to mark Saturday than to vote early yourself. Fill yours out and mail it before heading to the rally.

IHSN is hosting eight No Dictators events across three islands. In two towns you can make it a double header. In Hilo, No Dictators runs 2–4 pm, with the Democratic Party Grand Rally right after. In Honolulu, join us 11 am–1 pm, then stay for the Pride Parade.

TAKE ACTION: Find your local event and register.

Jill Tokuda at the Civil Beat forum and a Friday webinar

Civil Beat hosted a candidate forum Wednesday with Representative Jill Tokuda and her challenger, Brenton Awa. Tokuda represents Hawaiʻi’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers the neighbor islands and rural Oʻahu. Watch the forum to hear how she answers the tough questions, and judge the contrast for yourself.

Join us Friday, October 16, at noon Hawaiʻi time for an election security webinar we’re co-hosting, featuring Tokuda and Representative Joe Morelle of New York. Morelle is the top Democrat on the Committee on House Administration, which oversees federal elections, and he works with voting rights groups nationwide to protect how we vote.

TAKE ACTION: Register for the webinar.

Hawaiʻi Immigration & Inclusion Conference recap

On September 30, 200 people from more than 70 organizations gathered at the East-West Center for the Hawaiʻi Immigration & Inclusion Conference (HIIC), hosted by the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights (HCIR). True to its tagline, “A room for everyone working toward belonging,” the gathering drew advocates, service providers, and elected leaders alike. Scot Nakagawa of the 22nd Century Initiative gave the keynote, and US Representative Jill Tokuda and state Representative Della Au Belatti joined the afternoon plenary.

We show up in the rooms that matter for a better world, and this was one of them. On the first day, Younghee Overly and Steve Munkelt, IHSN’s state public policy leads, spoke on the Civic & Political Inclusion panel, with members Jay Henderson and Marguerite Koster in the audience. The next day, Lisa Gibson co-led a breakout on Authoritarianism & Hawaiʻi with Salmah Rizvi of the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, looking at how the islands can prepare for the midterms and the 2028 presidential election.

Day two closed with about 40 organizers meeting in four breakout groups. Together they agreed on three priorities for the year ahead:

• Map the data. Run a gap analysis to find where immigrant services fall short.
• Create a One Hawaiʻi Office. Build a one-stop shop for immigrant services, starting with a task force and a needs assessment.
• Organize across groups. Share information through a joint newsletter, and plan the 2027 conference together.

​See the agenda and photos on HCIR’s conference page.

Deep dive on Iowa: Josh Turek plus three flippable House seats

Flipping Congress blue runs through a handful of close races, and Iowa is one of six states our Blue Wave team is targeting this cycle. Because Hawaiʻi is so far from the continent, volunteers here focus on what works remotely: postcards, phone banking, and text banking. A friendly note from the islands stands out in states that get less outreach than the big battlegrounds. See the full 2026 strategy to learn why each race made the list.

Josh Turek for US Senate

Republican Senator Joni Ernst is retiring, and the race for her seat is one of the tightest in the country. Democratic state Representative Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist from Council Bluffs, faces Republican US Representative Ashley Hinson, and recent polls keep landing within the margin of error. The Cook Political Report rates it a toss-up, one of the few races expected to decide who controls the Senate in January 2027.

Three House seats within reach

Three of Iowa’s four US House districts could flip from red to blue:

• IA-01: Christina Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor, is making her third run against Republican Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks after losing by fewer than 800 votes in 2024.
• IA-02: Lindsay James, a state representative and former faith leader, is running for the seat Hinson left open. Her endorsements include pro-choice groups, labor unions, Indivisible Dubuque and End Citizens United, a group fighting dark money in politics.
• IA-03: Sarah Trone Garriott, a state senator, ordained Lutheran pastor and former AmeriCorps volunteer, is challenging Republican Representative Zach Nunn in one of the most competitive districts in the country.

TAKE ACTION: Join Flip Congress Blue to write postcards, phone bank or text bank from home, or find a postcard party near you.

On the radar

• The Guard is home. Hawaiʻi’s National Guard troops have quietly returned from DC. We said we wouldn’t let up until they were back with their families, and this week they are. Mahalo, Governor Green.
• The hidden cost of the Iran war. Senator Chris Murphy, just back from the Middle East, says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been hiding the true cost of the war on Iran.
• Bankrolling Russia’s war. Last week, reports surfaced that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were brokering asset sales for Lukoil, Russia’s largest private oil company. Now Trump has lifted sanctions on Russian diesel and announced US purchases. Every dollar fuels Russia’s war on Ukraine’s civilians and infrastructure, while Russia probes North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defenses to test whether America will stay on the sidelines. Our government is now helping finance an assault on an ally, paid for in Ukrainian lives. For the clearest analysis so far, read Phillips O’Brien’s This Is About Much More Than Just Diesel.
• An execution as a broadcast. The Pentagon plans to livestream the December 3 firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, after Hegseth promised anyone could watch. No execution in this country has been open to the public in roughly 90 years. Whatever you think of the death penalty, making state violence a public spectacle comes straight from the fascist playbook.

Mahalo for reading this far. What we do together works. Act 11 became law with our help, and our Guard is home after months of us speaking up. You don’t have to do everything. Pick one or two actions from this issue, and know you’re doing your part. That’s how we steer through rough seas, side by side.

See you in the courtroom on Tuesday and at No Dictators on Saturday.

Warmest Aloha

P.S. We know your phone is buzzing with last-minute appeals from candidates, so here’s our simple ask. We’re all volunteers, so 100% of your gift supports our work, with nothing spent on fundraising or overhead. If you’ve been on the fence, now is a good time to donate.

​​​​​​

​

P.P.S. You can update how and when you hear from us anytime using the preferences link in the footer below — it puts you in control of what you hear from IHSN.