In the US, on 17 October, the No Kings movement held a nationwide day of action, combining protests against the policies of Donald Trump’s administration with calls for early voting ahead of the 3 November congressional elections. According to Stateline, the organisers reported more than 2,500 events across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Briefly about the main points
- No Kings held a day of action in the US on 17 October.
- The organisers announced over 2,500 events across 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- The campaign focused on early voting ahead of the 3 November election.
- The total number of participants in the protests nationwide has not yet been established.
Not just marches, but also engaging with voters
This year’s campaign differed from purely street protests. As reported by the Associated Press and Stateline, alongside rallies and marches, activists held local meetings, wrote letters to voters and disseminated information about the voting methods and deadlines available in individual states.
The figure of over 2,500 refers to the network of events announced by the organisers, rather than an independently calculated total of mass demonstrations held. The AP reported on hundreds of planned events without providing a complete nationwide tally. The total number of participants in the protests on 17 October has also not yet been established.
The events took place in towns and cities across the country
In Washington, near the Lincoln Memorial, several thousand people reportedly gathered. The participants held placards calling for the protection of voting rights and urging people to vote early.
In Atlanta, a city councillor addressed the event’s participants Michael Julian Bond. In New York, rallies were held to encourage early voting, whilst in San Francisco, hundreds of people formed a large ‘VOTE’ sign on Ocean Beach.
These local examples illustrate the decentralised nature of the campaign: No Kings combined public appearances with practical voter mobilisation, rather than focusing on a single central march.
Why has the movement focused on the 3 November election?
The organisers and participants of No Kings are speaking out against the administration’s policies and actions Trump. They have expressed concern about the concentration of executive power and have called for the protection of electoral rights and democratic institutions.
On 3 November 2026, mid-term elections to the US Congress will take place. Americans will elect all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and approximately one-third of the Senate; the results will have a significant impact on which party holds the majority in each chamber.
According to CBS New York, 17 October marked the fourth nationwide wave of the No Kings movement since the start of Trump’s second term. This time, the movement shifted its focus from protest to participating in the elections and checking the voting procedures available in their respective states.
The controversy surrounding postal ballots in California
The protests took place against the backdrop of a legal dispute over postal voting in California. On 15 October, the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit, claiming that postal ballot papers had allegedly been sent to more than 20,000 people whom the federal government considers to be likely non-US citizens.
This is the federal government’s position and claims within the context of the legal proceedings, not a fact established by the court regarding the voters’ citizenship or the validity of specific ballot papers. The Attorney General of California Rob Bonta stated that the state would not comply with the requirements regarding the storage of ballot papers.
The AP also notes that Trump had previously made unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election. There is no national tally of participants in the ‘No Kings’ protests on 17 October, and the next concrete test of mobilisation effectiveness will be the congressional elections on 3 November.
