No Kings rallies across US urge early voting ahead of November midterms
Organizers paired demonstrations against President Donald Trump with voter outreach as early voting expanded in communities ahead of the November 3 election.
No Kings rallies across the United States on October 17 urged people to vote early ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The Associated Press reported gatherings in Washington and Atlanta during a national day of events organized by the movement opposed to President Donald Trump. In Illinois, local organizers scheduled eight rallies across Lake and McHenry counties with a similar voter outreach focus.
Organizers billed the planned events as nonpartisan voter engagement, according to the AP. The rallies also built on earlier No Kings demonstrations by people opposed to Trump's presidency. The change in emphasis put practical voting messages alongside the movement's protests as the general election approached.
What happened at the Washington and Atlanta rallies
Near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, the AP observed what appeared to be a few hundred people gathered in chilly weather while a band played. Signs in the crowd read “VOTE EARLY” and “HANDS OFF MY VOTE!” The description was of that gathering, rather than an attendance estimate for events nationwide.
At an Atlanta rally, City Councilman Michael Julian Bond urged attendees to encourage others to vote before November 3. “The constitution gives you one power, right? That is the power to vote. Are you gonna use that power?” he asked, according to the AP. He called voting a right, a power and an obligation.
How Illinois organizers linked rallies to early voting
Lake and McHenry County Scanner reported that five rallies were scheduled in Lake County and three in McHenry County. Local event listings described the day as an effort to help people make a plan to vote early. Those figures describe planned gatherings, rather than a count of rallies that took place or their attendance.
In Crystal Lake, organizers planned a table where people could check their voter registration, the Scanner reported. The event listing instructed participants to stay on the Binny’s side of Route 14 and not cross the highway. The detail shows how at least one local rally aimed to turn its voting message into an immediate step for attendees.
Early voting had opened on September 24 in both counties, according to the Scanner's account of local election officials. Lake County offered voting at its main courthouse in Waukegan, while McHenry County opened voting at its election center in Woodstock. Both counties were scheduled to expand to more sites on October 19, giving residents additional places to cast ballots before the November 3 election.
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Sources and context
- No Kings rallies across U.S. urge voters to cast ballots early ahead of midtermsAssociated Press, carried by PBS NewsHour
- 8 'No Kings' rallies set across Lake, McHenry counties as groups behind anti-Trump protests urge people to vote earlyLake and McHenry County Scanner
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.