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

The No Kings coalition staged its fourth nationwide day of action on Saturday, Oct. 17, shifting its theme from street protest to early voting. Organizers said more than 3,000 events were held across all 50 states, ranging from rallies and marches to neighborhood block parties and group trips to drop off ballots, aimed at driving early turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Organizers had said this round was expected to be smaller than the previous three, with its impact to be judged once states release early voting figures, USA Today reported; the Associated Press reported people gathering and voting early in cities and towns across the country. Organizers had not released a national turnout total as of Saturday evening.

Downtown Los Angeles was Southern California's main stage. The rally began at 1 p.m. at Gloria Molina Grand Park, next to City Hall at 200 N. Spring St, where thousands of demonstrators 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, with the event scheduled to conclude at 5 p.m. Organized by 50501 SoCal in partnership with more than 30 organizations, the Los Angeles event focused on federal immigration enforcement and voting rights. Speakers included California Assemblyman Isaac Bryan and activist Melina Abdullah, and demonstrators carried two large balloons depicting President Donald Trump. 'The same administration that invaded our city is now threatening to interfere with our right to vote,' 50501 SoCal spokesperson Aztlan Tenochtitlan said in a statement. More than 40 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. Caltrans had installed swinging gates at downtown ramps of the 101 Freeway ahead of the march; the gates remained open as of late afternoon. The Los Angeles Police Department LAPD 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.

Elsewhere, a few hundred people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, where a band performed and signs read 'VOTE EARLY' and 'HANDS OFF MY VOTE!' (Associated Press). Rallies and voter events were held in New York City and surrounding communities, with AP photographers filing from the scene. At an Atlanta rally, City Councilman Michael Julian Bond urged attendees to mobilize friends and family to vote early (Associated Press). Chicago's events took the form of neighborhood gatherings, with dozens turning out in communities such as Evanston and Edgewater (Chicago Sun-Times). In Phoenix, participants marched to the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center to drop off ballots, and in Indianapolis, two groups marched to the governor's residence (USA Today).

On the West Coast, San Francisco organizers with Indivisible SF led an afternoon march from the area of 18th Street and Dolores Street through the Mission to drop ballots at the ballot box at Jessie Square; Seattle held a community rally focused on voter education at Madison Park; and the Portland metro area listed 12 events, including a noon rally and march at the Waterfront, according to organizers. In Boston, an 'Authoritarian House of Horrors' exhibit-style event was set up on Boston Common, with about a dozen Massachusetts cities and towns holding events the same day, local media reported. Austin hosted a family-friendly voter information event at First Unitarian Universalist Church. In Golden, Colorado, a 'Paws to the Polls' event invited participants to march with their dogs (NPR).

The No Kings coalition brings together more than 200 organizations, including Indivisible, MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU and Public Citizen. It previously held nationwide actions in June 2025, October 2025 and March 2026; 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. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed the demonstrations as 'Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions' that only reporters paid to cover them care about, according to SCNG. The AP noted that on Thursday the U.S. Department of Justice DOJ 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.

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

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

Related: Follow-Up: 'No Kings: Vote Early' Day of Action Draws Crowds Across the U.S., Hundreds to Over a Thousand at Florida Events

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：10月17日，俄勒冈州Eugene市政厅广场，「No Kings」集会参加者席地而坐听取发言，人群中可见「VOTE」背心与「NO KINGS」标语牌。AnthonyTheGuy摄，CC BY 4.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Participants sit in the plaza outside Eugene City Hall in Oregon during a 'No Kings' rally on Oct. 17, 2026, with 'VOTE' and 'NO KINGS' signs visible. By AnthonyTheGuy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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