No Kings rally in Las Vegas coincides with first day of early voting

The No Kings movement which has energized millions to protest across the country over the past two years had a new message for Nevadans who showed up to demonstrate on Saturday: vote early.

On the first day of early voting in Nevada, Indivisible Las Vegas held its fourth No Kings rally across eight early-voting locations in the Las Vegas Valley. Nevada is one of more than a dozen states with early voting in October.

Organizers said the Saturday rally is the culmination of years of organizing to increase early voting and civic participation amid fears the Trump administration could attempt to curtail voting access for the midterms and limit mail-in voting – an initiative the Supreme Court halted last month. 

“Everything that we’ve been doing since June of 2025 has laid the foundation of us being able to mobilize people and now give them a very specific action, which is to vote,” said Beth Osborne, a member of the steering committee for Indivisible Las Vegas. “We want people to vote early because there’s less potential for shenanigans or other things that the federal government can do if we vote early.”

The Las Vegas No Kings rally was one of thousands of events held across all 50 states and Washington DC Saturday to get people to the polls early for the midterm elections where voters will determine the makeup of Congress. The outcome is likely to shape the final two years of Trump’s second term. Early voting for the November general election runs Oct. 17 through Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Along the road outside of the Desert Breeze Community Center, dozens of protesters held signs asking Nevadans to “Vote Early” while emphasizing that “Every Vote Does Matter.” Fewer people turned out compared to earlier rallies across Las Vegas. In June 2025, the No Kings rally in Las Vegas attracted at least 8,000 protesters.

Organizers hope the action will lead to the largest early voting turnout in Nevada history. Osborne said they are encouraging voters to take mail-in ballots directly to drop boxes in early voting locations out of an abundance of caution. 

“We just can’t trust the postal service. It’s been compromised, which is extremely sad,” Osborn said. 

Alexis Keizer, a 69-year old booking agent, shared similar concerns and urged people to vote as early as possible. Keizer said she joined the Saturday protest after dropping off her mail-in ballot in a drop box at the Desert Breeze Community Center. 

Keizer said she is encouraged by polling that shows Democrats are likely to retake the House and possibly the Senate, but remains cautious. 

“I can’t trust polls. I wish that I could, and that’s why it’s so important to get out and vote. No one should be resting on the laurels of what the polls are telling us,” Keizer said. 

President Donlald Trump won Nevada in 2024, defeating Kamala Harris by 3 points and becoming the first Republican to win the state since George W. Bush in 2004. Several polls favored Harris winning the state by a slim margin. 

Keizer cited affordability, fuel prices, the war in Iran, and corruption as her main concerns, and said she wants positive change for younger generations.

“Most people are trying to stretch a paycheck that doesn’t stretch any longer, and it’s due to Trump’s wars, Trump’s tariffs, and basic corruption,” Keizer said. 

Pamela Siotas, a 70-year old retired school teacher, said she was protesting on the first day of early voting because she is increasingly alarmed by the violent tactics deployed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Siotas said immigration enforcement is targeting hardworking members of the immigrant community. She expressed concern about military force in American cities and the erosion of personal freedoms.

“I don’t believe in armed military coming into cities and shooting our citizens,” Siotas said, pointing to an “ICE OUT” button on her bag.

Siotas said she believes the opportunities her generation had are no longer available for younger people, leading her to lose faith in the American Dream.

“I’m not liking the direction the United States is going in,” Siotas said. “All of our benefits are slowly being taken away.”

Hanna Stotland, a 51-year old educational consultant, said it was her fourth time attending a No Kings protest. She described herself as an active volunteer and canvasser, adding that she volunteered to house out-of-state volunteers working with Rep. Susie Lee’s campaign. 

Stotland said she also plans to volunteer for ballot curing, a process that notifies voters of signature-related errors and allows them to correct them. 

She said her top concerns were democracy and health care. Stotland said people will not be able to absorb the cost of skyrocketing premiums, which are happening as a result of the expiration of federal subsidies.

Nevada had one of the nation’s highest uninsured rates prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Stotland said she was infuriated by a recent ad from Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that portrayed a Medicaid recipient playing video games and eating junk food instead of working

“How many people in this country don’t have access at all because their states didn’t expand Medicaid?” said Stotland. “No other country that claims to be civilized leaves people off of universal health coverage or shames them as being lazy because they need it.”