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Defense Secretary Hegseth Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Committee

Can We Fire Hegseth Yet?

People walking down the steps of the U.S. capitol.

DNC's Proposed RCV Ban Sparks Debate Over 2028 Presidential Primaries

What Will It Take to Rebuild American Democracy?

What Will It Take to Rebuild American Democracy?

Missouri Drew a Gerrymander. Now Its Secretary of State Says Voters Can’t Say No.

Missouri Drew a Gerrymander. Now Its Secretary of State Says Voters Can’t Say No.

State Gerrymandering Surge Ends Path to Proportional Representation

State Gerrymandering Surge Ends Path to Proportional Representation

Hawaii’s vote-by-mail primary wraps up Saturday

​Rep. Kai Kahele

Rep. Kai Kahele is vacated his House seat to run for governor of Hawaii, but is running a distant second.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
David Meyers
By David MeyersAug 12, 2022
David Meyers

David Meyers is the Executive Editor of The Fulcrum. Before launching The Fulcrum, David spent more than two decades at CQ Roll Call, a leading publisher of political news and information. During his time there, David served as managing editor of Roll Call (“the newspaper of Capitol Hill”) and as managing editor of member information and research, which included co-editing the definitive biographical directory of Congress, “Politics in America.” David went on to lead all of CQ Roll Call’s congressional research teams as vice president of research and content development before shifting to a revenue and strategy role as vice president of business operations for Roll Call, working with the advertising and editorial teams to develop new revenue models and expand the company’s events business. David lives in Fairfax, Va., with his wife, two daughters and rottweiler. A graduate of Tufts University, David is a past president of the Tufts University Alumni Association. He is also a past president of the Washington Press Club Foundation, which works to celebrate and advance the role of women and minorities in the media. David currently serves on the board of directors for Temple B’nai Shalom in Fairfax Station.

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For years, Hawaii has lagged behind every other state when it comes to voter participation. But that changed two years ago, when the state debuted voting by mail. That year, participation reached 51 percent, a 17-point jump from 2016. After this weekend, we’ll know whether the new system also boosts turnout in midterm primaries.

Voters in Hawaii have been filling out ballots for about two weeks, selecting nominees for the Senate, the House, governor and other state and local offices. The voting period ends Saturday, when mailed ballots are due and those who choose to vote in person head to voting centers.

As of Tuesday, about a quarter of the ballots sent to all registered voters had been completed and returned to election officials.

Term-limited Gov. David Ige’s exit has created a cascade of openings. Lt. Gov. Josh Green is the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination, creating an opening for his current post. Running a distant second is Rep. Kai Kahele, who is also vacating her seat in a bid for the top job in the state. Ten Republicans are battling for their party’s nomination.

Sen. Brian Schatz is expected to cruise to victory in the Democratic primary and then easily win reelection in November.

Republicans rarely win high-level elections in Hawaii. Only two Republicans have served as governor and two as lieutenant governor (the most recently in 2010). The state hasn’t had a Republican senator since 1977, and Charles Djou was the only Republican to represent Hawaii in the House, serving one term in 2010-11.

Hawaii conducts an open primary, meaning registered voters can cast a ballot for candidates in the party of their choice.

The biggest change to Hawaii’s election laws in recent years was, of course, the switch to a proactive vote-by-mail system prior to the 2020 election.

Last year, lawmakers made an additional change, requiring each county to open at least one voting center during a 10-day early voting period. Country clerks are also required to publicize such details as hours and locations for voter centers and ballot drop boxes.

In 2021, lawmakers also voted to combine online and same-day voter registration systems to make it easier for people to vote, and people were given more time to register to vote.

The only election-related law enacted in 2022 requires ballot packaging to include instructions for voters who need assistance in other languages.

Read more about election law changes in Hawaii.


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How State Constitutions Became the Battleground for American Rights and Liberties – on Both the Left and Right

Beyond picking governors, state legislators, local officials and representatives to serve in Congress, voters in almost every state this year will have the opportunity to amend the language of their state constitution. In one state, they could potentially rewrite the constitution altogether.

Though the U.S. Constitution is rarely amended, voters frequently amend their state constitutions. In every election cycle, voters are asked to ratify constitutional amendments.

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The Double Standard Presidency: When We Watch Leaders Act Above the Law

Americans are told that no one is above the law. Yet every day, they watch a president behave in ways that would get any ordinary citizen fired, disciplined, confronted, or held accountable — and they watch some Americans excuse it. What makes this moment even more striking is that critics across the political spectrum, including conservatives, now warn that the presidency is operating on a dangerous double standard. This is not a partisan concern. It is a constitutional one. And it is tearing at the fabric of our democracy.

For generations, the Constitution has provided guardrails — separation of powers, checks and balances, oversight mechanisms, and limits on executive authority — designed to prevent any leader from functioning above the law. The framers feared concentrated power more than anything else. They believed that the presidency must be constrained not only by written law but by norms of restraint, dignity, and respect for institutions. Those norms held for centuries because presidents understood that the office was larger than any individual, and Congress understood that oversight was not optional.

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Latino immigrants and U.S.-born Latinos differ sharply in how much their identity shapes their daily lives, according to recent findings from the Pew Research Center’s 2025 National Survey of Latinos. The survey shows that Latino immigrants are far more likely than U.S.-born Latinos to say their identity is central to who they are, and that it influences their experiences in the United States. Pew researchers Gabriel Piña, Mark Hugo Lopez, Sahana Mukherjee, Dalia Fahmy, and Alexandra Cahn report that the divide reflects differences in cultural connection, lived experience, and generational distance from immigrant roots.

Pew’s analysis finds that Latino immigrants are significantly more likely to say their origins are central to their identity, while U.S.-born Latinos — especially those in the third generation or higher — are less likely to feel that connection. The report notes that “U.S. Hispanics are divided on whether their identity helps or hurts them in America,” with some respondents describing their Latino identity as a source of pride and connection, and others saying it is tied to discrimination or barriers.

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A Democracy Cannot Run on an AI Model

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A Democracy Cannot Run on an AI Model

Tallying the results of Washington, DC’s first ranked-choice election in June took about 10 days—longer than many voters are used to. In an age when artificial intelligence can generate an answer in seconds, waiting days for election results can feel old-fashioned, inefficient, even suspicious. And it is about to matter far more widely. This November, 17 states, cities, and counties will use ranked-choice voting, including Maine and Alaska statewide, in races that could help decide control of Congress. More voters than ever will watch results take days to resolve, and more will be asked to trust a count they cannot see.

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