No Kings, the coalition known for organizing anti-Trump protests, is trying a different democratic tactic: increasing voter turnout.
On Saturday, grassroot groups across the country will hold over 3,000 "No Kings: Vote Early" marches and other events. Organizers say these events are a nonpartisan effort to promote early voting in the midterm elections, and will involve helping people check their voter registration, make a plan to cast their ballot and understand their voting rights.
The voting push effort marks a pivot for the No Kings coalition, which comprises hundreds of partner organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Black Voters Matter.
No Kings has previously held three days of nationwide protests since the start of Trump's second term because organizers say Trump's actions in office are more akin to those of a monarch than a democratically elected head of state. Trump has previously rejected the idea that he is behaving like a monarch.
"The first three No Kings were designed to send a message," says Ezra Levin, the co-founder of Indivisible — one of the major organizations within the No Kings network. "We're done sending a message."
Now, he says, they want people to vote.
There are two main goals for the event, says Levin, the first is to help facilitate what he hopes will be the largest number of midterm early voting numbers in the country's history.
The second goal is No Kings groups getting volunteers trained as poll watchers, an endeavor Levin says is in response to efforts by the Trump administration that he views as threats to election integrity. Levin points to the failed SAVE America Act that would have required voters to show a document proving their U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or a birth certificate, when registering to vote. He also raises concerns that federal immigration officers will be sent to the polls, and President Trump's attempted restrictions on voting by mail.
What do organizers expect nationwide?
Saturday's events vary widely across the country, from block parties to cookouts to rallies. In Golden, Colo., a "Paws to the Polls" event invites people to bring their dogs on a march. Organizers in Everett, Wash., planned a "concert for democracy," featuring an environmental troubadour.
All events will share similar restrictions, Levin says, including a rule against political endorsements and inviting current candidates to speak.
Superhero capes and masks will be a staple of Cammy Dunford's event in Frisco, Texas. Dunford, a co-leader of Indivisible Frisco, plans to hold a "voting is your superpower" gathering. She will be wearing a red and blue cape (to embrace the political spectrum of voters) and will give away other superhero capes and masks.
"I don't care if you're an independent, first-time voter, Democrat, Republican," Dunford says, "if you are eligible to vote, you need to get out there and vote. Because without everybody voting, we don't have a democracy."
Early voting in Texas does not start until Oct. 19, but Dunford and a group of her neighbors put together 500 mini goodie bags to hand out — filled with QR codes linking to voting information and voting resources. They will also wave bright signs with superhero-shaped images urging people in passing cars to vote.
Dunford says that her group has two people already trained as poll monitors and is hoping to recruit more on Saturday. She says poll monitors are trained by Common Cause, a government watchdog group that equips them to answer questions from voters. They have T-shirts that identify them at the polls, she says, so voters can find them and ask questions.
At a Wyandotte, Mich., event, Christy McGillivray, the executive director of Voters Not Politicians, a nonpartisan advocacy organization, is scheduled to speak to a No Kings crowd about the history of fighting for democracy in the U.S. She says the organization of grassroots events across the country is inspiring.
"It makes people feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves," she says. "And that's what democracy is. Democracy is about working with each other and for each other."
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