At different moments in the history of the United States and within the Democratic Party, Hawaii has played an important role in advancing the cause of peace and human rights — issues that have been core tenets of our society from the days of the Hawaiian kingdom through the present day.

One such moment was during the third march from Selma, Ala., where Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders wore white lei, gifts from Hawaii’s first commissioner for civil rights, the Rev. Abraham Akaka. Another came when Congresswoman Patsy Mink famously ran for president in the 1972 Oregon Democratic presidential primary on a platform of peace and ending the war in Vietnam.

This year, nearly 30% of voters in Hawaii’s Democratic primary cast their ballot for “uncommitted” (the largest proportion of any state), and this week Hawaii’s uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention are in Chicago calling for a U.S. arms embargo on Israel as an immediate way to achieve a cease-fire in the Middle East and end the horrific war in Gaza. All Hawaii Democrats and citizens should join them in their cause.

Such an embargo is not only the morally right thing to do, but it also provides Vice President Kamala Harris an enormous opportunity to set herself apart from the failed policy of the current administration and the reprehensible position of her Republican opponent.

The last time the United States had an incumbent president that did not seek a second term was in 1968, when Lyndon Johnson decided not to seek reelection due to the catastrophic failures of the Vietnam War. Like President Biden, LBJ’s vice president, Hubert Humphrey, took up the mantle in running for the presidential nomination. Humphrey was sheepish in breaking with LBJ and voicing his opposition to the continued bloodshed in Southeast Asia. His hesitation exacerbated the chaos at the Democratic convention in Chicago that year and his delayed decision to speak out against the war likely cost him precious votes in the tight race against Richard Nixon.

Recent polling show that calling for an arms embargo is overwhelmingly popular with swing-state voters. An Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project/YouGov poll in three key swing states — Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona — finds that large proportions of voters say that they would be more likely to vote for the Democratic presidential candidate in November if the candidate came out for an arms embargo on Israel — and that, by contrast, there is essentially no risk of losing voters if they did so. Support jumps among those who say they are undecided in this election, with a whopping 57% saying they’re more likely to back the nominee if they make the pledge, with zero percent saying they would be less likely to vote for them.

This margin is the most prominent in Pennsylvania — one of the most important states in the presidential election, with 19 electoral votes.

Harris’ position would be simple: While the U.S. supports the right of Israel to exist and defend itself, it does not support continuing to provide American bombs for the Israeli Defense Forces to drop on schools and refugee camps, and her administration will follow U.S. (Leahy) laws, that prohibit the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense from providing military assistance to foreign security force units that violate human rights with impunity.

As a past delegate to the Democratic National Convention, I know that the gathering should be more than a pep rally for our presidential nominee; it is an opportunity to debate the pressing issues confronting our country and planet and ensure that our values are reflected in the party platform. The Hawaii delegation can once again lead the way for peace and aloha by advocating that the Democratic Party and Vice President Harris support an arms embargo of Israel and an immediate end to the war in Gaza.

Tim Vandeveer is a former chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii.