Your ballot, explained.

Heard this? Here are the facts

Each claim gets a plain status: True, False, or Promised, not law.

• Heard this? "You have to show a photo ID to vote in Hawaii." False
  The facts: Hawaii votes by mail. Your ballot counts after the signature on the return envelope is checked against the signature on your voter registration. You use a Hawaii driver license, state ID or Social Security number to register. source: elections.hawaii.gov
• Heard this? "It's too late to register for Nov. 3." False
  The facts: You can register and vote the same day at a voter service center in your county, from Oct. 20 through 7 p.m. on Election Day. First-time voters using a paper form must turn it in by Oct. 26. source: elections.hawaii.gov
• Heard this? "A mailed ballot counts as long as it's postmarked by Election Day." False
  The facts: Postmarks don't count. Your ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. If it's late, use a ballot drop box or a voter service center. source: elections.hawaii.gov
• Heard this? "If you were ever convicted of a felony, you can never vote again in Hawaii." False
  The facts: You can't vote while you are in prison for a felony. Your right to vote comes back when you are released, including while you are on probation or parole. source: elections.hawaii.gov
• Heard this? "On Election Day you have to go to your assigned polling place." False
  The facts: Hawaii has no traditional polling places. You vote by mail, at a ballot drop box, or in person at any voter service center in your county. source: elections.hawaii.gov
• Heard this? "Getting more than one ballot in the mail means fraud." False
  The facts: Extra ballot packets come from a registration change, a report that a ballot never arrived, or a request for a replacement. Each return envelope has its own barcode, so only one ballot per voter can count. source: elections.hawaii.gov
• Heard this? "You'll get $5,000 after the election." Promised, not law
  The facts: On Sept. 9, 2026 the President promised every adult $5,000, a "Trump Dividend", if Republicans keep both the House and the Senate. It is a campaign promise that depends on the election results; no law or payment exists today. Congress would have to pass it, and AP estimates it would cost over $1 trillion. Is this legal? Experts disagree. Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, wrote: "No, Mr. President you can't offer voters $5000 if the Republicans win the House and Senate." Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner called it a completed crime under the federal vote-buying law (18 U.S.C. 597). Election attorney John Day told AP it is legal because it would go to everyone regardless of how they vote: "This is a campaign promise." Rice University political scientist Mark Jones: "It's unsavory, but it's legal." Your ballot is secret, so no payment can depend on how you personally vote. source: kold.com source: internazionale.it source: newsweek.com source: ibtimes.co.uk source: katv.com
• Heard this? "Someone can legally pay you to vote, or to vote a certain way." False
  The facts: No. Paying or offering to pay anyone to vote or to register to vote in a federal election is a federal crime (52 U.S.C. 10307(c)). Accepting the payment is a crime too. source: law.cornell.edu
• Heard this? "The $1 million-a-day giveaway in 2024 paid people for voting." False
  The facts: That contest was open only to registered voters in seven swing states, and entering meant signing a petition, not voting. The group's lawyer told a Pennsylvania court the winners were "not chosen by chance". The judge let it continue. source: aljazeera.com

Checked against official sources, court records and news reports. We update this as new claims go around.