Election season is in full swing and the Hawai‘i Democratic Party invites voters to meet its candidates face-to-face before next month’s primary election.

More than 25 Democratic candidates whose names will appear on the 2022 primary election ballot will come together from 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, July 22, at the Mo‘oheau Bandstand in downtown Hilo for the Hawai‘i County Democratic Party’s 62nd annual Pre-Primary Grand Rally to get out the vote.

Candidates from the top of the ticket down — from those vying for seats in Congress to hopefuls for County Council and Office of Hawaiian Affairs posts — are expected to briefly take the stage to share their campaign thoughts and ah-ha moments. Candidates and their teams also are expected to line up along Kamehameha Avenue at about 4 p.m. to wave signs.

Emceeing the rally will be Andy Kahili and Hawai‘i County Democratic Party Chairperson Barbara Dalton will welcome everyone who attends to the event. Kahu Danny and Anna Akaka will share the opening pule.

There is no charge to attend and everyone is invited.

Started in 1954, the Hawai‘i Island Democratic Party’s Grand Rally has seldom missed a beat through the decades. It went online in 2020 because of the pandemic, but returns to an in-person event this year.

The rally, which is normally conducted the night before the primary election, is however scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal this year. The party is rallying just a few days before primary ballots are expected to arrive in mailboxes Tuesday, July 26. The 2022 primary election is Aug. 13.