Updated Oct. 17, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET
Millions of Americans were gathering in big cities and small towns and voting early on Saturday, Oct. 17, in a continuation of the popular No Kings protests.
In Indianapolis, two groups marched to the governor’s residence. In Michigan, one event was Halloween-themed; another asked participants to bring signs and American flags. In downtown Phoenix, protesters marched to the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center to drop off their ballots.
Bundled up against a bitter fall wind, demonstrators lined up along an intersection and bridge in Orono, Maine. One attendee had a quilt draped over her shoulders with the words “Stand up for democracy” sewed into it.
The more than 3,000 actions focused on early voting and turnout rather than protesting like the previous three No Kings events, which drew millions of Americans into the streets at rallies in large cities and small towns nationwide. Organizers said Saturday’s events were expected to be smaller and the impact will be difficult to determine until states release early voting numbers. Early voting has started across much of the country.
Public Citizen’s Co-President Lisa Gilbert told USA TODAY that the events are “a strategic move and a critical one to help people exercise the most tangible aspect of their power that counters all the abuses we’ve been seeing, which is voting. So it’s a massive day of voter participation, one where we are helping folks lean into voter power as a statement on what democracy is and should be.”
The No Kings protests have been a way for Americans to show their frustration with the Trump administration’s policies. Voting is another way to make that statement, Gilbert said.
“It’s so critical that people vote, that they vote early, that we show in a landslide that this is not an acceptable way to govern,” she said.
Expected events included marches to the polls, voting information booths, speakers, and vehicle parades to voting locations.
In Atlanta, Black Voters Matter hosted a party with food trucks and music before moving as a group to a polling location. In Ferndale, Michigan, and Eagle County, Colorado, participants in superhero costumes rode in decorated bikes or wagons on their way to vote. In Chester, Pennsylvania, a tailgate party at a ballot drop box location was planned.
Many action locations are available online.
No Kings organizers said the goal was to create voter turnout so historically high that it would be hard for the Trump administration to claim there was fraud.
The White House dismissed the organizers, telling USA TODAY earlier this week that the fact that organizers are talking about voting shows there is no king and no authoritarian government.
In South Bend, Indiana, protesters gathered in Leeper Park around the Studebaker Electric Fountain. Anne Weisjohn said that, at this point, voting is the only power citizens have.
She said she is protesting to make “our voices heard, that we need to stand up and get the change needed to preserve our democracy, and fight to make sure that our kids and our grandkids have a decent country in which to survive.”
A highlight of Saturday’s event at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee was the “Eyeball Brigade,” a crew of folks that donned papier-mâché eyeballs on their heads. Their message? “Eyes Are Watching.”
“We want people to keep an eye on democracy,” Eyeball Brigade organizer Doug Schrock said. “Keep an eye on voting rights; keep an eye on ICE.”
In Oregon, about 1,200 protesters marched through downtown Salem. Thom Gapen, spokesperson for Salem Region Indivisible, said the goal of the day’s rally was to be “highly visible, with the message being: Vote. And it’s important to vote in this election.”
Gapen stressed that voters should take their ballots to official drop boxes.
“Do not mail it,” Gapen said.
In Exeter, New Hampshire, organizers raised concerns that President Donald Trump will interfere with the elections or fight the results if they don’t favor his Republican Party.
Naomi Kornhauser of Durham said encouraging people to vote while anticipating Trump administration attempts to suppress voters was top of mind.
“Across the country, people will be encouraged (to vote early) in states where you can … to avoid any shenanigans that might go on on Election Day,” Kornhauser said.
A few hundred people waved signs and American flags and rang cowbells outside the Supervisor of Elections Office in Sarasota, Florida, on Saturday.
“Voting is nonpartisan, we’re advocating for everyone to be able to vote in a free, fair and safe election,” said Sarah Parker, executive director of Voices for Florida Fund. “I don’t choose whose rights I fight for based on political beliefs. We want everyone’s voice to be heard, no matter your political affiliation. If there are attacks on voting, there are personal attacks on all people.”
Contributing: Kinsey, Crowley, USA TODAY; Juliane Balog, South Bend Tribune; Jim Rosica and Kendal Asbury, Sarasota Herald-Tribune; Katie Livermore and Joshua Kornfeld, Salem Statesman Journal; Grace Chai, Portsmouth Herald
Leave a Reply