'No Kings' Rallies Sweep the Country With an Early-Voting Push: More Than 3,000 Actions Ahead of the Midterms

WASHINGTON — "No Kings" rallies were held across the United States on Saturday, October 17, with organizers saying more than 3,000 actions took place nationwide. Unlike the movement's previous rounds, which centered on protest, this round was built around early voting ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with marches to the polls, voting information booths, speakers and vehicle parades to voting locations. Early voting has started across much of the country.

Southern California's main event was in downtown Los Angeles. The rally began at 1 p.m. at Gloria Molina Grand Park, next to City Hall at 200 N. Spring St, where thousands filled the park and spilled onto both sides of North Spring Street; at about 2 p.m. the crowd marched roughly 1.5 miles along Spring Street and back to City Hall. Organized by 50501 SoCal in partnership with more than 30 organizations, the event focused on federal immigration enforcement and voting rights; speakers included California Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, and demonstrators carried two large balloons depicting President Donald Trump. More than 40 related events were held across Los Angeles County on Saturday, including in Pasadena, Long Beach, Riverside and Huntington Beach, and regional media put combined Southern California participation in the tens of thousands. The Los Angeles Police Department had said beforehand that it was aware of the rally and did not anticipate any issues, and as of late afternoon, authoritative local coverage had not reported arrests or clashes at the downtown event.

Scenes varied by city. In Indianapolis, two groups marched to the governor's residence. In Phoenix, protesters marched to the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center to drop off ballots. Near Louisville, in St. Matthews, John Ariatti, co-chair of the organizer Indivisible Crescent Hill, said about 3,000 people lined Frankfort Avenue, and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey addressed the crowd. In Salem, Oregon, police estimated about 1,000 people turned out for the rally and march opposite the State Capitol. In Florida, more than 1,000 people gathered in Naples and organizers in Fort Myers put their turnout at about 1,200; in Sarasota, hundreds gathered in the rain outside the Supervisor of Elections office downtown, with on-site estimates of 300 to 550, and about 500 people gathered outside Daytona Beach City Hall in a noisy but peaceful scene. In Seattle, thousands marched from Westlake Park to Seattle Center — the largest "No Kings" event in Washington state that day — with the city activating its Joint Information Center in the morning to coordinate information. In Washington, a few hundred people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial, where signs read "VOTE EARLY" and "HANDS OFF MY VOTE!" (Associated Press).

The No Kings movement is organized by a coalition of more than 200 groups, including Indivisible, MoveOn, the ACLU and Public Citizen; its three previous rounds, in June 2025, October 2025 and March 2026, drew millions, and organizers estimated the March 28 round drew about 9 million people. Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, told NPR the first three rounds were about sending a message, while this round aims to turn mobilization into votes. Public Citizen Co-President Lisa Gilbert told USA Today the events were "a strategic move" to help people exercise the power of voting. Organizers said Saturday's events were expected to be smaller than earlier rounds and that their impact will be difficult to determine until states release early voting numbers. In Texas, early voting begins October 19 and runs through October 30; Election Day is November 3.

On the official side, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed the gatherings as "Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions" that only reporters paid to cover them care about, according to SCNG; spokesperson Lauren Bis had earlier told USA Today that, since the organizers were talking about voting, they should change their name. The Associated Press noted that two days before the actions, the U.S. Department of Justice sued California election officials, seeking to bar the state from counting mail ballots cast by people the federal government has identified as likely noncitizens until their status is confirmed — a voting-rights fight that formed a key backdrop to Saturday's actions.

Sources: USA Today; Associated Press; Louisville Courier Journal; Salem Statesman Journal; SCNG; Florida and Indiana local media, October 17; GSM reporting from Los Angeles, Florida and Seattle

Related: America's Electoral System (4): The Midterms: What Is on the Ballot on November 3, 2026

Related: U.S. Bishops' President Urges Catholics to Vote in the Midterms: Put Faith Before Politics

Related: Follow-Up: 'No Kings: Vote Early' Action Day Spans the U.S. as Thousands Rally and March Outside Los Angeles City Hall

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 维基共享资源 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 选票投递箱（资料图）

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