WASHINGTON — Demonstrators gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, October 17, as the No Kings movement used a nationwide day of rallies to encourage early voting before the November 3 midterm elections.
The Associated Press described a gathering of a few hundred people at the memorial, where a band played and participants carried voting-related signs. AP photographs also showed demonstrators marching across Memorial Bridge. The local gathering was part of a broader series of events across the United States organized by a network opposed to President Donald Trump, according to AP’s report.
From protest to election participation
On its website, No Kings describes its events as nonpartisan and says its aim is participation by eligible voters. Organizers require lawful, nonviolent conduct, call for de-escalation and say weapons should not be brought to events.
The electoral emphasis gives Saturday’s demonstrations a practical objective beyond expressing opposition to the president: organizers want supporters to make voting plans and cast ballots. Whether that mobilization translates into additional turnout will become clearer as voting proceeds.
What early voting means in D.C.
The District’s in-person early voting has not yet begun. According to the D.C. Board of Elections, early vote centers open October 26 through November 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The board lists Election Day voting on November 3 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Its election information page also provides ballot tracking and vote-center locations. Local schedules matter because a nationwide early-voting campaign spans jurisdictions with different voting periods.
Dispute over election safeguards
The demonstrations come amid debate in Washington over federal involvement in election administration. Democratic Senators Alex Padilla, Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse have asked Attorney General Todd Blanche to commit that the Justice Department will not seize ballots, voting machines or other election materials before election results are certified, according to a statement released by Padilla’s office on October 16.
No Kings says its next steps include an October 21 online organizing meeting and preparations for nonviolent action if election counting or certification is obstructed. Those are organizers’ stated plans; the immediate milestone for District voters is the opening of early vote centers on October 26.
