Kings rallies across U.S. urge voters to cast ballots early ahead of midterms

Hundreds of rallies organized by the No Kings network were held across the U.S. on Saturday, encouraging early voting ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election. The events were described as nonpartisan, though organizers aimed to build on nearly two years of demonstrations against President Donald Trump. At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., a band played to a crowd of a few hundred despite chilly weather, with signs reading “VOTE EARLY” and “HANDS OFF MY VOTE!” Similar calls to vote early were made at an Atlanta rally by City Councilman Michael Julian Bond. The broader effort also unfolds alongside legal challenges over mail ballots: the Trump administration sued California officials, while the Justice Department warned that election workers handling ballots from suspected noncitizens could face criminal investigation.