In case you missed it, on Sep. 10 Donald Trump led attendees of the Republican Midterm Convention in chanting, “Cheat like hell” (see PBS coverage). Undoubtedly, this president will attempt to sabotage the midterms. Here is what Ezra Levin, co-director of Indivisible, editorialized:
No Kings on October 17 is designed to overcome Trump’s sabotage. We sent a clear message of defiance to authoritarian rule with historically large, powerful, and joyful protests at No Kings 1, 2, and 3. The time for simply sending a message is over. October 17 is built to prevent an authoritarian from subverting an election and to take back power for the people. Success this time comes down to two things: did we drive the largest early vote in the history of the republic, and did we recruit and train a grassroots force capable of repelling Trump’s sabotage?
So how do we do that?
- Boost early turnout to historic levels. You want to take down an authoritarian? Make turnout too big to rig. Bank votes early so they can’t be suppressed and so problems surface while there’s still time to fix them. Turn the election into a season of voting rather than a single day that’s vulnerable to attacks. The point of historic early vote turnout is that every ballot cast makes sabotage harder to pull off and easier to expose.
- Recruit and prepare to repel sabotage. We know it’s coming, and we know the only thing that stops it is mass, organized, nonviolent, insistent people power. To keep the country from shrugging and metabolizing blatant sabotage, we’ll likely need a big national freakout and concentrated mobilization that could last days or weeks. We shouldn’t wait until it happens to build the force that responds.
Your local No Kings size and shape depends on your community. We’re going to have millions of people at thousands of events on October 17. What will it look like?
Early vote in full swing. In states like Ohio, Minnesota, and Georgia, maybe your No Kings event is a big GOTV drive, or a post-voting celebration where everybody parties after bringing a friend to vote.
Early vote starting soon. In states like Texas, Alaska, and Michigan, in-person early voting begins within days of October 17. Maybe your No Kings is a rally that spotlights the sabotage threat and makes sure every single person in your community knows the first day they can vote.
Early vote won’t be happening. A handful of states don’t or effectively don’t do universal early voting at scale, like New Hampshire, Alabama, Pennsylvania (with some caveats). That sucks! Your events lean into boosting election-day turnout and focusing the public on the threats they need to show up in force to repel.
This is going to take creativity — something the No Kings movement has in spades. Community BBQs, GOTV actions, superhero costume parties, visibility brigades, big ol’ No Kings-style rallies. You — yes you — can do this. Get your Indivisible group or a few friends together, plan something fun and impactful, and get it on the map.
October 17 will be a historic inflection point. Millions of Americans in thousands of communities will use our constitutional rights to vote and organize to defend that vote. We’ve always been headed here — for this moment where democracy reasserts itself. We’re the ones doing the reasserting. And we will win.
In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible
This content is also posted as part of Ezra Levin’s Subtack: “Our Strategic Logic for the Next No Kings,” Sep. 14, 2026.