(Adnkronos) – No Kings, the coalition of progressive, religious, labor, and civil rights groups formed to denounce the dangerous authoritarian drift of the Trump presidency, is launching a new mobilization to urge Americans to vote en masse, preferably early next Saturday, October 17. “We launched No Kings for October because we believe Trump when he continues to signal that he intends to sabotage the elections. How do you prevent the sabotage of an election using the tools at our disposal? By voting en masse,” Ezra Levin, one of the founders of Indivisible, told USA Today, speaking of the over 3,000 actions aimed at mobilizing votes, including actual marches to polling stations.
While the other mega-mobilizations of the No Kings coalition, which resulted in the largest demonstrations in American history, were aimed at “sending the message that democracy confirms itself, because people insist on confirming it,” this time the goal is to create a movement to achieve such a high turnout that it will be difficult for Trump and his administration to speak of fraud.
The White House’s immediate response. “The very fact that No Kings organizers are talking about voting in the upcoming elections shows they should change their name,” says spokeswoman Lauren Bis. “In November, Americans have a clear choice between President Trump and common-sense Republican policies, and the extremist, radical socialist, and open-border policies of the Democrats.”
Among next Saturday’s protests, one stands out: it will take place on St. Petersburg beach, Florida, where a thousand people will spell ‘Go Vote’ with their bodies. In Dubuque, Iowa, a march to polling stations is planned, and in Livingston, Montana, there will be tables for voter registration.
Instead of large demonstrations in cities, this time there will mostly be small events in small towns, explains Levin, emphasizing the importance of creating a network of local organizers. “It can be interesting to go to an event in a big city, but that’s not where the communities and voters are,” he concluded.
There are 47 American states – practically all except Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire – that offer the possibility of early in-person voting, a possibility often offered during the weekend. It is worth noting that the period for early voting at polling stations ranges from a maximum of 46 to a minimum of 3 days, with an average of 20 days. In general, the possibility of early in-person voting, which is a different method from mail-in voting, ends a few days before Election Day.
