No Kings Holds Fourth Day of Action on Oct. 17, Shifting From Protest to Early-Voting Push Before Nov. 3 Midterms

Since the first No Kings protests of Trump's second term, the coalition has held three national days of action. Saturday, Oct. 17, was the fourth, and the first built around ballots instead of banners.

The event is branded "No Kings: Vote Early." Events were held in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election.

What organizers staged

Event counts vary. Some reports cite more than 3,000 events, while organizers told CBS Miami the number was more than 1,500.

The formats differ widely. Organizers listed a music festival in Los Angeles, a march to the Supreme Court in Washington, family workshops in Chicago and election-observer training in Atlanta. Golden, Colorado, held a "Paws to the Polls" dog march, and Everett, Washington, a "concert for democracy."

Turnout in some places was modest. In the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, a column of about 50 people walked the boardwalk between Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach and shouted "VOTE!" for a group photo. Larger marches were scheduled in downtown Los Angeles, where the LAPD warned that the day's "non-permitted" events could affect traffic.

In the Bay Area, organizers staged a human mural reading "NO KINGS: VOTE EARLY" at San Francisco's Ocean Beach. Indivisible SF planned a "rolling block party" through the Mission District, with participants encouraged to drop off early ballots at an official collection box.

The coalition's main Instagram accounts were frozen on Saturday. The group said it lost access at the peak of its national day of action. The accounts were inaccessible for nearly two hours before being restored. Meta, Instagram's parent company, did not respond to the Los Angeles Times' request for comment.

The stated goals

Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the coalition's major organizations, said the point has changed. "The first three No Kings were designed to send a message. We're done sending a message."

Levin named two goals: the largest early-voting numbers in U.S. midterm history, and trained volunteer poll watchers. He said the poll-watcher push responds to Trump administration actions he sees as threats to election integrity. He pointed to the failed SAVE America Act, which would have required documentary proof of citizenship such as a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. He also cited concerns that federal immigration officers will be sent to polling places, and Trump's attempted restrictions on voting by mail.

Trump has openly criticized mail-in voting. Alma Couverthie of Common Cause, a partner group, said the aim is overwhelming turnout. "The best way to prevent any funny business from this administration after election day is to make sure that our turnout is massive, so clear and so overwhelming that our victory for democracy is impossible to question."

The concern voiced by organizers is about what might happen after Nov. 3.

In California, a major focus is the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to set aside about 20,000 ballots that the federal government alleges were mailed to "likely noncitizens." Election law experts cited by Bay Area reporting call the suit a publicity stunt meant to help Republicans, and note the Constitution assigns election administration to the states.

The nonpartisan label

The coalition describes the day as "nonpartisan voter participation." Its partners include the ACLU and Black Voters Matter. ACLU official Deirdre Schifeling called the events "thousands of joyful celebrations of our right to vote." Levin said all events share restrictions, including a rule against political endorsements.

A Fox News Digital review says the ground game looks different. It identifies a network of 300 advocacy groups, unions, Democratic operatives and nonprofits with an estimated $2.5 billion in annual revenue, and says Indivisible has received millions of dollars in funding from George Soros. It cites local chapters promoting partisan language. Indivisible's Newark, Delaware, chapter urged people to "wear blue" and suggested signs like "Vote Blue Nov. 3" and "Time for a Blue Tsunami." Indivisible Douglas County in Roseburg, Oregon, suggested signs reading "REPUBLICANS HAD THEIR CHANCE!"

Fox notes that federal election law bars nonprofits from advocating for particular candidates. It said No Kings organizers did not respond to its request for comment before publication. A No Kings spokesperson later told Fox the movement is nonpartisan and said the coalition is aware of partisan events circulating online that are not affiliated with or officially organized by No Kings.

Early voting starts soon

The practical stakes arrive Monday. Early voting opens Oct. 19 in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. Dates vary elsewhere in Florida and across the country. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Meta has not said why the coalition's Instagram accounts were frozen.