No Kings movement holds 3,000 events across the US to push early voting

At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, Sabine Carlson, a 66-year-old retired teacher and Democrat from Washington’s suburbs, joined a No Kings demonstration near the country’s Capitol. A few hundred people appeared to gather despite chilly weather, with many dancing and holding signs reading “VOTE EARLY” and “HANDS OFF MY VOTE”.

The local gathering formed part of an estimated 3,000 events held across the United States on Saturday, 17 October 2026. Organisers used the fourth round of No Kings demonstrations since President Donald Trump returned to office to press Americans to vote early in the 3 November midterm election.

The election will determine which party controls Congress. Democrats are seeking control by campaigning on cost of living issues and an unpopular war in the Middle East, while Republicans face difficult races to retain it.

No Kings organisers planned the events under the banner “No Kings: Vote Early”. Their stated aim was to encourage voters as ballot-casting begins, in a country where most areas allow people to vote ahead of election day, sometimes weeks in advance.

Organisers described the effort as “a day of nonpartisan voter participation: we are bringing our community together to make a plan to vote early and ensuring every eligible voter understands their options for how to vote and has the opportunity to make their voice heard”.

Alma Couverthie, the grass-roots organising director for the democracy watchdog Common Cause, spoke about the importance of a large turnout.

The events took varied forms, including honking convoys, concerts and neighbourhood gatherings in place of massive marches. They stretched from New York and Los Angeles, along with other Democratic stronghold cities, to small towns around the country.

One demonstrator carried a placard reading “In 2026: Dump Trump”.

A 52-year-old military veteran from Virginia said: “I am so disillusioned by what I thought I was serving versus what this country has become”. He added: “Over the last 18 months – I finally came to this conclusion about six months ago – I've been mourning my country.”

The voting push came as Trump’s administration intensified its efforts against mail-in voting. Trump has repeatedly criticised the practice and sought to restrict it before the midterms, although he regularly votes by mail-in ballot and says his job makes him an exception.

Trump has also blamed election fraud, without providing evidence, for his defeat.

On Thursday, his administration sued California election officials, asking a judge to stop the state counting mail-in ballots in the midterm election from people the federal government had identified as “likely” noncitizens until their immigration status could be confirmed.

On Friday, the Department of Justice warned that local officials who process and tabulate ballots from suspected noncitizen voters could face criminal investigation and potential prosecution.

That day, Democratic Senators Alex Padilla of California, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Dick Durbin of Illinois wrote to Attorney General Todd Blanche. They demanded a commitment that the department would not seize ballots or other election materials before the midterms are certified.

In Atlanta, a rally at a park in midtown Atlanta carried the theme “No Kings, Vote Now”. Michael Julian Bond, an Atlanta City Councilman, addressed the crowd and urged people to vote before the 3 November general election.

Kelsea Bond, a 33-year-old labour organiser, politician and elected member of the Atlanta City Council, also addressed the gathering. She is the council’s youngest serving member and its first member from the Democratic Socialists of America.