The No Kings movement, which organized the largest protests against the government so far during Donald Trump’s second term, is taking its mobilization to the polls to promote early voting ahead of the midterms. The goal is to get as many voters as possible to cast ballots before November 3, the official day of the midterm elections, to counter abstention and problems that could arise at a time when, they say, the government is doing everything it can to restrict the right to vote.
Organizers have set a date — Saturday, October 17 — to bring the largest possible number of voters together in the roughly 20 states that will already have opened early voting.
“That day marks the beginning, leading up to November 3. We’re going to do everything we can to mobilize as many eligible voters as possible and get them to the polls. It’s very important that they vote early because that way they can make a plan — they can say, ‘OK, on this day, before I go to work, I’m going to vote.’ The earlier, the better, and that way they can work out any issues that may arise,” says Beatriz López, executive director of Voto Latino.
López took part Wednesday morning in a news conference held outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., where leaders of several organizations linked to the No Kings movement presented initiatives to secure historic early turnout. Instead of marching on Washington, they preferred to aim for a thousand “marches to the polls” across all states. As with No Kings mobilizations, citizens volunteer and self-organize to demonstrate. Spokespeople say about 700 marches have already been scheduled.
Bishop William Barber of the non-profit organization Repairers of the Breach announced a digital outreach campaign to reach 3.5 million low-income voters, the primary target of the mobilization. “Of that total, one million would be low-income Black men, especially in southern states and other key states that often decide elections. We tested this in the last electoral cycle and we know it works: if you target people who are unlikely to vote — some of whom say their vote doesn’t matter — and show them that it does, you get results,” he said.
In addition to Black voters, Latinos are another focus of the campaign. “We know this administration has Latinos in its sights because we’re in states and districts where we can make a difference, where we can elect Democrats over Republicans. They’re afraid of losing power in Congress, and that’s why they do everything possible to keep people home,” López said.
The November 3 elections will decide all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate. The latest polls indicate that, largely because of President Trump’s low approval ratings, Republicans will lose control of both chambers.
Absentee and early voting are popular among Latinos because many cannot take time off work on Election Day, which in the United States is always the first Tuesday in November. Uncertainty over the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at polling places also discourages many Hispanic voters from casting ballots. “I have seen every Latino who has been forced to prove that they belong in this country. Hardship, cruelty, chaos, corruption — that is what this regime is like. And now they want to bring that fear to our polling places: gangs of white supremacists, agents deployed en masse… a fear that has a single goal: to keep us at home,” López says.
The Latino vote, which is expected to be decisive in several of the most competitive districts, is the fastest-growing. Around 1.4 million young Latinos join the electorate each year. “It’s no surprise they try to purge rolls, restrict access to the polls, draw electoral maps to silence us and attack those who count our votes,” López added.
Although the No Kings movement describes itself as nonpartisan, leaders of the organizations within it lash out at the Trump administration’s practices — accusing it of trying to redraw districts in its favor, drastically limit mail-in voting (an initiative the Supreme Court halted) and remove voters from rolls by accusing them of fraud.
“We are witnessing attempts at voter suppression, election sabotage, and government overreach. The Trump administration is betting on efforts to sow distrust in our elections. They’re counting on their threats to intimidate voters at the polls and discourage people from voting,” said Deirdre Schifeling, director of policy and civil rights advocacy at the American Civil Liberties Union.
“We are preparing for dozens of scenarios, from electoral interference to the denial of voting rights across the country. We are ready to respond immediately, especially in the South. We have been preparing litigation and communications strategies, as well as recruiting and training thousands of volunteers so they know their rights and are ready to help and inform voters about what they must do to vote and how to act if they encounter a problem at the polls,” she explained. Her organization has filed hundreds of lawsuits against the Trump administration since the Republican returned to the White House.
“The year 2026 will not only be a referendum on authoritarianism, but also a test of how determined our leaders are to respond to voters’ concerns. That is why the organizing work we carry out with activists and Black, Latino, and working-class voters is so crucial,” said Alexis Anderson-Reed, CEO and president of State Voices, a national network of organizations that promote electoral participation.
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