Progress Reports
February 27, 2026: We have our official Nomination Paper in hand and are in the process of acquiring the minimum 25 signatures required to get on the primary election ballot. We’re on a good pace to meet the self-imposed goal of April 1, but the more signatures over 25, the better since people may move or some signatories may be trolls (already got at least one!). So if you or someone you know would like to officially nominate me by signing my nomination paper, send me an email at nicholas.kiswanto@protonmail.com and I will meet you at your earliest convenience. If you’ve already signed my nomination paper, mahalo nui nui.
April 16, 2026: Tax Day, Kona Lows, Unnecessary Gas Price Rises have come and some have gone. Times are tough for a lot of people out there and I am grateful to have come through quite alright and gain a greater appreciation of what it means to run. I figured I have some time to turn in my nomination paper so I stopped stressing about getting signatures and started to just talk to people on the street about anything and everything to try to get a better sense of what people really value. If I find a good spot to work in my candidacy I bring it up and people generally react positively. I’ll take that as a good sign because sometimes I wonder what in the heck I took on by running. But the people I meet out there also push me and I’ve been able to publish the makings of a platform from their feedback.
First, and foremost, I ran in order to increase voter turnout in the primary, and to that end I created a one sheet voter guide that lists the top four candidates in the Democratic Party Primary. I also heard the need for actual policy on taking money out of politics and I was struck by the idea to tax political contributions. It is a fairly clever way of taking on Citizens United without trying to directly address the problematic ruling, as so many stalled attempts have done. By simply taxing every dollar contributed to a political campaign, PAC, or SuperPAC, Hawaii and the rest of America will receive some proper remedy for the special access and influence enjoyed by large contributors.
June 2, 2026: I am officially on the ballot! Huge mahalo to all my nominators for signing and for buoying me with your support. Your trust and belief in me means more than you will ever know. Also special shoutout to all my friends who live outside of CD1 who would have been happy to sign my nomination paper. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders with the passage of this milestone and now the next phase of the work begins.
If you’re interested in supporting the campaign, in lieu of donations I ask that you tell ten friends about my candidacy and tell them to tell ten friends. The more people voting in the primary the closer we come to a more perfect union. I know it’s not the easiest thing to do to talk politics here, but it is critical to our freedom and well-being. If you need a suggestion on breaking the ice, simply tell them that the primary election is as important as the general election in November, and that all they need to do is read the candidate statements and choose who they think is right for them. #anybodybutEd.
To the left (or above if mobile) is my official ballot statement which will be printed in the voters’ guide included with the ballot mail. All of the candidates’ ballot statements are locked in with the filing of the nomination paper, along with candidate photos. Mahalo for reading!
June 30, 2026: Things have officially gotten hectic. There are so many correspondences from advertising marketers, questionnaires from different organizations, and even appearance requests. Due to that, I will be moving the campaign’s progress reports primarily to Instagram, where posting updates is much easier. Please follow along on there if you can or you may also click on the pictures to the left (or above if on mobile). Further updates to this website will occur primarily under the “Proposed Policies” page where additional policies will be added and existing policies will be expanded upon as necessary. ALSO, the contact form is finally up on the main page. I have been reluctant to accept volunteers for the campaign, but so many of you out there have literally volunteered your time in some capacity for the campaign that I can’t help but come around on the idea and start asking for help. Thank you so much for your continued support.