Hawaii Democrats held a rally in Kapolei to push voters in a Republican-leaning West Oahu district to turn in their ballots before Election Day, a mixed sign for the party as it tries to defend territory it has struggled to hold.

• Democratic leaders gathered in a Kapolei school cafeteria to urge supporters to return mail ballots on time.
• Turnout is the main worry, with the vote twelve days away and organizers framing voters as frustrated with the current political climate.
• The district is one of the few lasting Republican strongholds in the state, and the GOP won several seats there in the last election.
• A Democratic lawmaker representing the area called the rally partly a response to that Republican strength and said the turnout reflects voters in his district.
• The crowd at the event was described as sparse, raising questions about how much enthusiasm the rally actually generated.

Outlook: Expect both parties to keep targeting West Oahu heavily in the final stretch, with voter turnout there seen as a key swing factor in the election.