This story was updated to add additional events.
A fourth nationwide No Kings day of action is planned for Saturday, with several local events scheduled to take place. The focus this time is on encouraging people to vote early in the Nov. 3 election.
Past No Kings marches and gatherings in the East Bay have drawn tens of thousands protesting the Trump administration’s anti-democratic maneuvers and the war in Iran. Organizers estimate the most recent rallies in March drew 8 million people at 3,300 events across the country.
Richmond Invisible says it’s promoting early voting by passing out flyers and buttons at various locations in Richmond. The flyers will have key information on how to register to vote, check your registration, where to find a drop box, the safest ways to cast a ballot, and more. (They’re asking participants to register so they know how many flyers to have printed.)
Participants are asked to meet at 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the corner of 44th Street and Macdonald Avenue for a training and to pick up flyers, which they’ll pass out at local businesses and BART stations.
Those who want to bring signs can arrive at 10 a.m. to gather along Macdonald Avenue.
“For more than a year, millions of people have come together to reject the idea that power belongs to kings, billionaires, or politicians who believe they are above the people and the law, the group states on its website.
“Now, we are taking the next step, turning people power into voter power. Unlike previous No Kings actions, No Kings: Vote Early, is not purely a protest. Instead, on October 17th, it’s a day of nonpartisan voter participation: we are bringing **our community** together to make a plan to vote early and ensuring every eligible voter understands their options for how to vote and has the opportunity to make their voice heard.”
Richmond area No Kings events
What: Get-out-the-vote rallies.
When: 9:45 a.m. flyer distribution at 44th Street and Macdonald Avenue; 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., San Pablo Dam Road and Appian Way; and 2 p.m.-4 p.m., 1300 Amador St. (Riverside overpass)
More info: Register for the morning event here and the afternoon event here.
Two other events hosted by Indivisible West Contra Costa will take place in El Sobrante and San Pablo.
We are “moving from protest to supporting nonpartisan voter participation by making sure people are ready to vote early to choose their leaders,” organizers say. “Voting early gives us the power to make our voices heard on our own terms, before Election Day, before the last-minute chaos, and before anyone else can decide what happens next.”
The focus on voting early comes after the Trump administration changed the rules late last year around the postmarking of mail, causing some ballots to get stamped later. Ballots mailed on or close to Election Day may not get the Nov. 3 postmark they need to qualify to be counted. The administration has taken other steps recently to try to restrict mail-in voting, and some state election officials are urging voters to forgo mailing ballots back to the registrar and instead deliver them via drop boxes or in person.
No Kings organizers say they anticipate there will be “countless efforts to undermine our elections” and that the events on Saturday are intended to help build “the overwhelming nonviolent people power needed to defeat them.”
No Kings events nearby
There are also a number of events scheduled in Berkeley:
- Civic Center Park rally, including songs and speeches, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Bancroft Way and Piedmont Avenue, near the UC Berkeley School of Law and the International House, noon-2 p.m.
- Cedar Rose Park, noon-2 p.m.
- On Fourth Street near Peets Coffee, noon-2 p.m.
- I-80 pedestrian overpass near Aquatic Park, 2-4 p.m.
- I-80 pedestrian overpass at Gilman Street, near the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex, 2-4 p.m.
- Shattuck Avenue and Rose Street, 2-4 p.m.
election information
See more events on the No Kings map, which also includes events in Oakland, Albany, Kensington, El Cerrito and beyond.
Berkeleyside Editor Zac Farber contributed to this report.
