Michigan No Kings rallies aim to translate protest energy into early voting push

Organizers of the No Kings movement in Michigan are shifting their focus from street demonstrations to the ballot box, planning dozens of local rallies, marches and community gatherings Saturday, to encourage residents to vote early in the November election.

The latest mobilization, dubbed “No Kings 4: Vote Early,” will include events across Michigan, with organizers emphasizing voter registration, early voting and helping residents understand their voting options. The gatherings are part of a nationwide effort that organizers said includes thousands of events. They encouraged residents to find local events at NoKings.org

“This is not necessarily a numbers game when it comes to this particular protest,” said Eliza Sokoli, a senior at Oakland Early College in Farmington Hills and founder of the Teen Action Network, a youth-led chapter of the Indivisible progressive political movement. “This gathering is about getting neighbors to see neighbors, and to go and get them out and vote and use their voices.”

Sokoli noted that while she is not yet 18 and cannot actually cast a ballot in this election, she said it was important to still make her voice heard for those who will be voting.

“The American Dream is broken for this next generation,” Sokoli said. “We’re crushed with student debt, if we can even afford to go to college at this point … The price of everything has skyrocketed. It affects everybody, regardless if you’re like me going to the shawarma place after school or you’re an adult paying their rent.”

The Michigan Freedom Coalition initially announced 75 events in a news release, while speakers at Tuesday’s news conference said the number had grown to 78, including in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Traverse City, Bay City, Saginaw, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Canton and Ferndale.

While previous demonstrations have drawn large crowds protesting President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies, organizers said this time their emphasis is on turning that energy into civic participation ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

“It’s moving from protest to power,” Ryan Bates, executive director of End Gun Violence Michigan, said. 

Bates, who was serving as the press conference moderator, described the goal of the mobilization as one of motivation for voters to turn dissatisfaction into action. 

“We’ve convinced the country that there is an urgent danger to our democracy, and it’s time to move beyond standing with a sign and using our power as voters to try and protect our freedom,” Bates said.

Despite the explicitly anti-Trump framing, organizers insist the events themselves will be nonpartisan and will not feature political candidates, although they said elected officials may appear in their official capacities with a focus on voters rather than individual campaigns.

Emily Busch of the Michigan Freedom Coalition said the movement was responding to what she described as threats to democratic institutions, civil liberties and economic security under the Trump administration. She cited immigration enforcement, restrictions affecting universities and the news media, government data collection, health care costs and the administration’s trade policies.

“I’m calling on every Michigander to join us at No Kings: Vote Early events,” Busch said. “We’re still marching, but this time, we’re marching to the polls.”

Busch said she became involved in political organizing after her son was inside Oxford High School during the Nov. 30, 2021, mass shooting that left four of his classmates dead. She said the experience taught her that institutions intended to protect people only work when people actively defend them.

“I got into it because I watched what happens when people in power stop answering to the people they serve,” Busch said. “And that’s exactly what’s happening in this country right now. That’s why No Kings matters, and that’s why we’re all here.”

Angela Davenport, executive director of Voting Access for All Coalition, emphasized that Michigan residents have several ways to register and cast ballots. She said eligible residents can register in person at their city or township clerk’s office through Election Day, Nov. 3, with proof of residency.

The deadline to register online or by mail is Oct. 19, she said. Statewide early in-person voting is scheduled for Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, although some communities may begin earlier. Voters also can request and complete absentee ballots through their local clerks.

Davenport also urged residents not to assume that a criminal record disqualifies someone from voting.

“In Michigan, if you are not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison, you can vote,” she said, adding that people on probation or parole retain their voting rights. People held in county jails while awaiting arraignment, trial or sentencing also remain eligible, she said.

Davenport said misinformation and a lack of access to accurate information can prevent eligible residents from exercising their rights.

“Having a record does not mean that you lose your say in the decisions that affect your life,” she said.

During a question-and-answer session, organizers were asked what they hoped to accomplish that differed from previous No Kings demonstrations and whether they expected voters to change their minds about candidates ahead of the midterm election.

Organizers said they were not endorsing candidates or targeting voters based on their choices in past elections. Instead, they want to reach people who have not participated before, including young people newly eligible to vote.

“The battle is between the voting booth and the couch,” Bates said. “We need to beat the couch, if we’re gonna save this democracy.”