Published October 19, 2026 at 1:53 PM HST

Thousands rallied across the country on Oct. 17 at events organized to get voters to turn in their ballots early.

Catherine Cruz

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HPR

Protestors hold signs along the street during the No Dictators rally on Oct. 17, 2026.

HPR joined the No Dictators rally organized by Indivisible Hawaiʻi at the State Capitol, which was joined by many other groups who wanted to help get the vote out, including the League of Women Voters.

The LWV has been urging registered voters to turn in their mail ballots as early as possible.

“I know that there's some concern because the ballots are long because there's so many amendments. Yes, that's true. But aren't we lucky that we vote by mail, so you can do this from your couch?” said Judith Wong, president of LWV.

“When you're voting on an amendment, you're voting on an action. You can do a lot to make the government be what you want it to be by taking a look at those amendments and deciding what you want.”

Jared Yurow, who works with Indivisible Hawaiʻi, was there in the crowd to hand out miniature flags and share with HPR what compelled him to join the rally.

Catherine Cruz

/

HPR

A variety of signs promoting early voting at the No Dictators rally on Oct 17, 2026.

“I believe in the values our country was founded on, which is democracy. I believe in affordability, and I believe in accountability, and I believe it's important that the people are represented,” he told HPR.

“Hopefully, our votes will be respected. But if they're not, we also know that at some point the people's voices may need to be heard after the election.”

Others who took part in the demonstration said they were motivated by issues around the cost of living, corruption and immigration.

Visit HPR’s dedicated 2026 Hawaiʻi Voter Guide to learn more about the candidates and amendments on the ballot this general election.

This story aired on The Conversation on Oct. 19, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.