No Kings rallies staged across Yolo County

Hosted in G Street Plaza, recent No Kings rally encouraged people to bring their ballots to the protest

By COLE TAYLOR and GIA LOOMIS — city@theaggie.org 

On Oct. 17, No Kings protests hosted by Indivisible Yolo were staged across Yolo County in Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento. The protests were some of many larger national gatherings across the country that emphasized the importance of early voting. 

In Davis, marches started in four locations across the city, all converging on G Street Plaza for a final demonstration. Attendees were encouraged to bring their ballots for the Nov. 3 midterm election so they could drop them off at City Hall at the end of the demonstrations.

The final staging point at G Street Plaza included information tables on various California propositions, a kids area and other activities related to early voting. Additionally, there were performances given by Acme Theatre Company and sing-alongs led by Yolo Singing Resistance.

Throughout the rally, Indivisible Yolo speakers spoke about various propositions in the upcoming election. In particular, the protest focused on promoting attendees to vote “no” on Proposition 39 and “yes” on Proposition 40.

Claire Knapp, a second year political science major, attended the march and spoke about the impact early voting has in elections.

“I think people forget to vote, or they get really busy at the very end, and it can also be intimidating at the polls to actually be there,” Knapp said. “[...] We want to vote so much that we're voting early, it matters that much. And I think when you're having a president that's talking about rigging the election and stopping people from voting, it just sends the message, ‘we're here, we're gonna vote, we want to make our voices heard.’”

Jessie Rivera, a third year political science and gender studies major and president of Davis College Democrats, also attended the rally. They spoke about the effect young people can have in midterm elections.

“Historically, young people, especially in midterm elections, turn out in less numbers,” Rivera said. “If we have people dropping off their ballots early enough [...] they won't forget to turn in their ballot later on. Especially in local elections, where a lot of these races are nonpartisan, every vote counts, and so for young people who say that their vote doesn't matter, their vote does matter, especially in local elections.”

Invisible Yolo member and Mrs. Yolo County 2026 Maria Pascale moderated the entire event. Throughout the event, she introduced various performers and speakers and encouraged the marchers. As a member of Indivisible Yolo, Pascale explained the organization’s goal in hosting the No Kings protest. 

“Indivisible Yolo as a group is promoting progressive policies,” Pascale said. “[...] Indivisible is a nationwide group that has planned all the No Kings protests and it’s a very pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian group so we’re promoting that today. We are also supporting the idea of getting out to vote early and showing that the people in our country are interested in having democracy and will defend our vote.”

The rally encouraged early voting as a way to help ensure a fair election in November where every vote is counted. Pascale explained how concerns over a fair election make early voting especially important. 

“The motivation for voting early in this is there is concern about there being some federal pushback on having fair elections during this,” Pascale said. “So if we’re getting our votes in early they are more likely to be counted.”

In addition to promoting early voting, Pascale also emphasized the importance of encouraging students in Yolo County to vote. 

“The future is ours for the taking,” Pascale said. “A lot of the people in Yolo Country that are not affiliated with the university do skew older, and so having our interests advocated for is something that is really important for those who are at the university to do. Wherever you’re living, you’re able to register to vote.”

To encourage people to vote, the event ended with a flash mob that danced its way to the City Hall ballot box, where participants cast their votes. Dominique Hemmingson, a member of the flash mob, spoke about the importance of letting your voice be heard through voting.

“To show that people are actually paying attention to what’s going on in the political atmosphere,” Hemmingson said. “That we’re not going to allow certain things that have been allowed thus far to continue to happen, and that we are going to fight for what we believe is right.”

Mail-in ballots can be returned at several locations in Yolo County, including 282 Tennis Court Lane on the UC Davis Campus and at City Hall at 23 Russell Boulevard. Voters can also submit their ballot in person at designated stations before or on election day. More information on voting sites and ballot drop boxes can be found at the Yolo County Elections website.

Written By: COLE TAYLOR AND GIA LOOMIS— city@theaggie.org