JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of No Kings rallies took place across the country Saturday, including several in Northeast Florida, as organizers shifted their focus toward encouraging people to vote early.
The nationwide events, dubbed “No Kings: Vote Early,” were aimed at emphasizing early voting ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
About 200 people gathered outside the Duval County Courthouse in downtown Jacksonville. Similar events were held across the country, including near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as in Frisco, Texas, and West Palm Beach.
“We want to make sure your vote gets in and that it counts and that we make sure democracy actually happens no matter what,” said Jess Boaz, a Jacksonville event organizer.
Boaz said Saturday’s event differed from previous No Kings rallies, which have focused more on protesting the current presidential administration. This time, organizers emphasized voter participation and providing information about the upcoming federal election.
“It was smaller, more intimate, more informational, more entertainment,” Boaz said. “Not a lot of people know about voting, in general, especially during a midterm election, and so we want to make sure that people know that this is a prime time for us to take back a little bit of the power that we have lost over the last couple of years.”
But the rallies weren’t without some pushback.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, the No Kings Coalition said on Instagram that Meta suspended its account during peak hours without explanation. Organizers said they lost access for about an hour and a half.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the national organizations behind the No Kings movement, called the situation alarming.
“They suspended it. We didn’t have access to it. We couldn’t post to it. Nobody could go to the page,” Levin said. “That was for about an hour and a half during the height of the mobilization.”
Despite the disruption, the coalition said millions of people participated in events nationwide.
Early voting in Duval County begins Tuesday and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1.
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