Aloha Reader,

We hope your Fourth of July was a good one — friends, family, good food and maybe even a good nap. A day to relax and reset before diving back in. The 250th birthday of the nation reminds us of the promise and vision of our founding fathers and should inspire us to continue to fight for that vision of a more perfect union.

What's inside

• 🎆 Self-determination, 250 years later
• 🔥 Action items: Della and Jarrett
• 📜 We did it — 12 bills signed into law
• 👀 On our radar

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National news

Self-determination, 250 years later

This week’s anniversary got us thinking about self-determination — the same idea Historian Heather Cox Richardson unpacked in one of her recent live chats on the Declaration of Independence. The line that stuck with her wasn't the famous one about self-evident truths. It was the last line, where the signers pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor — fifty-six people putting everything on the line because they believed the government only holds legitimate power when it comes from the consent of the governed. Watch here.

That's the form of government the Indivisible Hawaii State Network (IHSN) fights for: liberal democracy — elected leaders, independent courts, a free press, and rights that don't depend on who's in power. It's why we ask the people we send to represent us to recognize this moment for what it is and to fight the current attacks on our democracy with the urgency this moment calls for.

Voting is the bedrock all of that stands on, and right now that bedrock feels shaky. We went deep on why last week — read the full breakdown here.

Until the primary is done, every bit of our energy goes toward one thing: electing Della and Jarrett. Action items are below.

A few dates to remember

The ballots for the primary arrive July 21. Vote early. Your ballot has to be received at the voting center by August 8 — not postmarked, received. Find your nearest voter service center or ballot drop box here.

Plan to motivate and bring as many people with you to this primary as you can — friends, neighbors, family who don't usually vote in August. Turnout is always low for primaries, mostly because many people don't realize that the primary is where many races get decided. Given this low participation rate, every person you bring in has a significant impact.

State News

Action items: Della and Jarrett

Everything below moves us toward one goal — winning the August 8 primary.

Jarrett Keohokalole for Congress (CD1)

• Volunteer with the IHSN Elections Team to replace Ed Case in Congressional District 1 (CD1) — postcarding, phone banking, canvassing, social media. Sign up here.​
• Get the full story on why this race matters — Ed Case has voted against his own party's priorities more than almost any other House Democrat. Read the case for replacing him.

Della Au Belatti for Lieutenant Governor

• Hawaii News Now is hosting a live conversation with the candidates (Au Belatti and Kawakami) on Tuesday, July 14 at 12:30 pm - Submit questions to spotlightnow@hawaiinewsnow.com
• Volunteer with the Della’s team - See the full event list here.
• Watch her Talk Story session — Listen to Della explain what she stands for. Watch here.

Postcard parties, sign waves, and rallies are happening across every island, every week. Find one near you.

We did it — 12 bills signed into law

Twelve bills IHSN advocated for during the 2026 legislative session are now law — with one more expected to be signed soon. The legislature also adopted a life-saving reproductive healthcare resolution. Here's the breakdown:

• 4 good government bills
• 5 migrant rights protection bills
• 1 taxation bill
• 2 healthcare bills
• 1 gun safety bill
• 1 reproductive healthcare resolution

Importantly, Hawai'i is the first state to find a way around Citizens United, and other states are taking notice.

None of this happened because we asked nicely — it happened because you submitted testimony, made calls, showed up to rallies, and wrote op-eds. Legislators told us directly that your voices moved votes. And we didn't do it alone — we stood alongside dozens of partner organizations who fought right beside us every step of the way. We hear the Governor may hold a signing ceremony for the immigration bills in mid-July — we'll keep you posted the moment we know more.

This is what happens when we show up together. Indivisible Hawai'i has built real credibility at the Capitol this session, and we're determined to keep shaping policy that protects our communities. Lawmakers, take note — we're paying attention, and we're not going anywhere.

Ready to get involved in advocating for our priorities for the 2027 legislative session? Join the waitlist.

On our radar

So much is happening right now that we can't cover it all in depth every week — so we're adding this new section to flag what's on our radar, briefly, while we focus on what matters most right now: the primary.

Things that seemed unthinkable a few years ago are being debated and litigated. Case after case keeps landing at the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) that, by any reasonable measure, should never have made it there in the first place — and this term made that undeniable.

• Closest to home: SCOTUS struck down Hawai'i's "vampire rule;" the 2023 law that required gun owners to get a property owner's explicit permission before carrying a concealed weapon into stores, hotels, or malls. Our Hawai'i Supreme Court and the 9th Circuit Court both upheld it. SCOTUS overruled them, 6-3, flipping the default statewide: guns are now presumptively welcome on private property open to the public unless an owner explicitly says otherwise. This directly touches the businesses you walk into every day. Read more.
• Also this term: SCOTUS stripped 90 years of precedent protecting independent federal agencies from political purges, declined to hear Trump's appeal in the E. Jean Carroll case (a rare accountability win), and rejected his executive order attacking birthright citizenship (another win). Wins and losses both — but the pattern underneath them is the same: things that used to be settled, that used to be beyond question, are now being seriously debated.
• And closer to home in a different way: Palantir — the data-mining company that builds surveillance infrastructure for US Immigration & Custom Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies — has quietly opened an office in Honolulu. No action item yet, but we wanted to flag it now, while it's still new, rather than wait until it's just part of the landscape.

That's what the erosion of liberal democracy looks like. It doesn't happen all at once. It happens when one outrageous thing at a time gets normalized — which is exactly why self-determination, the idea we opened this newsletter with, isn't a given. It's something you have to keep fighting for election after election.

But here's what's worth holding onto: erosion isn't the same as defeat. Every one of these fights is still being fought, in courtrooms and legislatures and on the ground, by people who refuse to let any of this feel normal. That's what you're part of. That's what this primary is about. Stay in it with us.

Warmest Aloha,