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IHSN Weekly: People power won abroad. The US is next.
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If you’ve been swinging between hope and worry lately, you’re not alone. We’re two days from the most critical election of our lifetimes, so let’s hold on and keep fighting through the hard work still ahead. You’ll notice we’re in your inbox at 7 am instead of our usual 10 am. That gives you time to join today’s phone banks while it’s still midday on the mainland. This issue runs long, because there’s a lot going on and you’re part of all of it. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy. In this issue
If you have not voted yet: get your ballot to a drop boxIt’s too late to mail your ballot, but it’s not too late to be heard. Your county must receive it by 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3, so take it to the nearest drop box (Hawaiʻi County, Kauaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu). Not sure about some of the names on your ballot, or what the proposed changes to our state constitution would do? The state voter guide introduces the candidates, and Civil Beat explains each of the state amendments. Once your ballot is in a drop box, don’t just wonder — track it. BallotTrax tells you the moment it’s received and accepted, so you know your vote counted instead of hoping for the best. Already voted? Thank you for doing your part. Now forward this to three friends who haven’t. Two days left: join the national day of phone bankingYou’ve written stacks of handwritten postcards, and the last batches are now in the mail. But many races are still close. Midterm polls carry an average margin of error of ±3.5%, which puts Democrats anywhere in a range of 47–56 Senate seats. The calls we make over these final two days can help decide which end of that range we land on. TAKE ACTION: Call three people you know in swing states or districts. Then join today’s national day of phone banking to reach voters in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska, and Kansas. Every conversation brings us one step closer to taking Congress back. “Too big to rig” wins in Serbia and BrazilIf you need a reason to hope, look abroad. Last Sunday, pro-democracy leaders won by overwhelming margins in Serbia and Brazil. They defeated would-be strongmen who had openly aligned with — and been funded by — MAGA. Add Hungary’s April election, which ended Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, and that’s three major victories for democracy this year. Each one shows that when enough people turn out, nobody can rig the result. In the Guardian, Aleksandar Matković calls the victory in Serbia a leaderless revolution. He is an activist with the Student List, the student-led movement that won Sunday’s election, and was forced into exile by the now toppled regime. He writes: “Sunday’s election victory for what became the Student List, therefore, emerged from a novel political culture: a leaderless movement based on collective self-governance and political education… This movement overwhelmed all the established political parties in the parliamentary election.” The world should be watching. Indeed, we are. Brazil’s story is also one to remember. Lula beat Flávio Bolsonaro by 4 million votes, even after losing the first round. His comeback was powered by an independently organized digital army. That included 10 million followers on a WhatsApp channel, who outsmarted Meta’s attempts at suppression. Ordinary people, organized together, turned the tide. People power works! Flávio is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, now in prison for plotting a coup after losing the previous election. Police were already investigating him for money laundering and corruption, but the case was on hold while he ran for president. As soon as he lost, he fled to the US on clandestine routes arranged by the Trump regime. US Customs and Border Protection immediately granted humanitarian parole to his whole family. So much for deporting the “worst of the worst” — this family got the red carpet. Back home, the split screen has its own drama. It’s been a delight to watch President Obama’s jokes get under Trump’s skin, but a rattled commander in chief is also a dangerous one. Pivoting to election protectionThe man in the White House grows more erratic at every rally, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) under US Attorney General Todd Blanche is racing to interfere in our elections. So far, they haven’t won in court. We are fortunate that many federal district judges understand what is at stake — our democracy. US District Judge David Carter, ruling on the DOJ’s request to throw out a list of California voters’ ballots, issued a blistering ruling. He noted:
“Constitutional rights and our democracy are at stake. The public interest favors their protection… If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger. This Court declines to be a party to such process.”
More good news: in a nationwide effort, many teams of pro-democracy lawyers have worked tirelessly for two years to prepare for this moment. They’re ready to fight for us, while we citizens hold the line at the ballot box. This regime and its vigilante followers are acting even more extreme than in the three months before January 6, 2021. We’re preparing, and we won’t be caught off guard. If you see anyone interfering with voting, ballot delivery, or counting, call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). Staying ready through January 3Our work doesn’t end when the polls close. Hawaiʻi isn’t a targeted swing state, but as local Indivisible leaders, we’ve pledged to answer any national call to action. That pledge runs from November 3 until the new Congress is sworn in on January 3. We don’t know what will happen. But if it comes to a trigger event — a clear attack on the election or its results — we’re ready, and we’ll need everyone to step up. You’ll hear from the Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide Network (IHSN) or your local chapter right away, outside our usual Sunday newsletter, with where and when to show up for election integrity and democracy. Like the people of Hungary, Serbia, and Brazil, we need to turn out in numbers that overwhelm the extremists. Our defense of democracy has to be too big for anyone to rig the transfer of power in January. We’ve come too far to let go now. TAKE ACTION: You’re on the IHSN list, so make sure you’re on your local chapter’s list too. Our lists are separate, and being on both means you hear about actions first. Find your local chapter. Act 11 lawsuits: a national spotlight and a bipartisan amicus briefAct 11, our Sunshine over Dark Money law, makes Hawaiʻi the first state to say the corporations it creates can’t spend money to influence our elections. Two federal lawsuits are trying to stop the new law. You can follow both on our Act 11 lawsuit tracker. Act 11 is getting national attention. More Perfect Union’s new video essay features Senator Karl Rhoads, the lead sponsor of Act 11, plus Marlene and Sam from our Public Policy Action Group on Good Government. Watch the video and share it. In court, things are tense. Many observers left the October 13 hearing worried that Senior US District Judge Leslie Kobayashi leaned toward Grassroot Institute’s First Amendment arguments. They also felt the Attorney General’s (AG’s) team made a weak case, as Alexander Silvert wrote in Civil Beat. Last week, the AG followed up with a thin response to the Chamber of Commerce. A dream team steps inAmid concerns about the AG’s lackluster defense, a bipartisan group of Hawaiʻi leaders has filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief in support of Act 11. Its authors are:
Their core point is that Act 11 doesn’t regulate speech. It defines what corporations are empowered to do in Hawaiʻi. We applaud the authors and have posted the full text on our website. Its argument and language are muscular. Read the brief. MARK YOUR CALENDAR: The first hearing in the Chamber of Commerce case is Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 10:30 am at the federal courthouse in Honolulu. Monday morning: Good Government CaucusOne of our favorite "workaholic" legislators, Representative Della Au Belatti, is convening the Good Government Caucus on her last day in public office. Please join her to celebrate her time in the state Capitol, to set the agenda for anti-corruption and fair elections in the next legislative session, and to let her successors know how much you support their work. TAKE ACTION: Join the Good Government Caucus meeting on Monday, November 2, at 11:00 am HST. Register. Tuesday night: host a watch partyWe’re all on edge. Many of us remember how election night felt two years ago, and it’s natural to brace for the worst. But we will not obey in advance by retreating. Instead, members across the islands are opening their homes on Tuesday night, because tough moments are easier to face in good company. TAKE ACTION: Host a watch party. Invite a few friends, share some food, and lean on each other. You did it: every postcard, every call, every ballot counts because of you. Let’s finish strong, side by side, all the way through. Warmest Aloha
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Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide Network
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