Ahead of the election, several Hawaiʻi Democrats spent the weekend knocking on doors — not in Hawaiʻi but in Michigan.
It’s part of Hawaiʻi-based efforts to campaign in key swing states, likely to determine the outcome of the presidential election.
“It's kind of like this election's worst kept secret that the entire election hinges on around seven states,” said Hawaiʻi Democratic Party Chair Derek Turbin.
He and House Rep. Adrian Tam spent the weekend bundled in thick jackets while canvassing in Michigan.
“It's just so important to elect Kamala Harris and keep Trump out of the White House,” Turbin said.
“There's nothing more effective than in-person campaigning, actually showing up to people's doors and campaigning in-person, which is why we've decided to go to these crucial swing states to campaign for her.”
Turbin is referring to Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Nevada — which teeter on the edge of electing Democrat or Republican presidents.
That’s why Turbin led another group of Democrats to canvas in Nevada last month. He says it made sense because there are so many Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in the state that could have Hawaiʻi ties.
While walking around neighborhoods, he would spot a car in the driveway with a Hawaiian Islands sticker or a local logo. “That's kind of something we talked about right off the bat like, 'Hey, we're from Hawaiʻi,’ that would definitely warm up the conversation,” Turbin said.
But in-person canvasing wasn’t the only way Hawaiʻi residents helped campaign in swing states.
Indivisible Hawaiʻi, a grassroots organization campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz, wrote over 180,000 postcards to people in those key states.
Younghee Overly and Larry Smith have been participating in postcard writing since Trump’s election to the White House in 2016. However, community interest in the activity skyrocketed this year.
“We grew from having maybe 50 or so people writing last year, and into like 200 or so, and then this summer, oh my god, we tripled the number to 700,” Overly said.
Their focus was on getting new voters registered and then making sure people knew how to vote in their states — particularly in places where voting laws can be confusing.
“People in Hawaiʻi don't realize that our voting process is very simple and easy and so it's not a problem,” Smith said.
“In some of the states, the laws are very complex and intended to prevent people from voting... I think a lot of what we're doing now, given the increasing complexity of people being able to vote, is really education and helping people so they can vote," he continued.
Both Smith and Overly added that it also feels good to be actively doing something, even from a reliably blue state like Hawaiʻi.
“There is definitely even lingering satisfaction, even way after the election is over,” Overly said. “I'm glad that we started to do this because otherwise, I’d just be anxious.”
Voter centers in Hawaiʻi at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. You can see a list of places to drop off your mail-in ballots or vote in person at the Office of Elections website.
