‘No Kings’ Organizers Turn To Early Voting In Latest Bid For Arizona Mobilization

“No Kings” organizers are turning their attention to early voting for their next round of Arizona events, urging participants to channel opposition to President Donald Trump into voter participation ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

The Arizona Republic reported that Arizona saw 79 demonstrations during the March mobilization. As of its Oct. 13 report, at least 30 events were listed for Oct. 17 on the organizers’ Mobilize map. The October listing remained preliminary, and the figures do not establish a corresponding change in attendance.

One Arizona organizer has explicitly instructed participants to change their approach. In its announcement for Prescott Valley, Prescott Indivisible asked attendees to leave partisan signs behind and bring messages encouraging early voting.

“This will be very different from past No Kings gatherings. It’s not a protest or a demonstration, and it’s not an occasion for political rhetoric. It’s a timely, intentional, nonpartisan effort aimed at achieving huge voter turnout in an election that matters more with each passing day,” the organization wrote. Its event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon at State Route 69 and Lake Valley Road, followed by a symbolic walk to a ballot drop box. 

The movement’s strategy has drawn criticism from commentators questioning whether its demonstrations can produce concrete political results.

Writing in a March 27 opinion column for MS NOW, Christian Schneider questioned whether the movement’s broad opposition to Trump offered elected officials specific demands they could act upon.

“You cannot negotiate with a slogan,” Schneider wrote. He also noted organizers’ plans to emphasize local legislative advocacy and voting rights ahead of the midterms, arguing that sustained involvement in school-board, legislative and other local elections offered a route to political influence. 

Criticism has also come from participants. In a June 20 Harvard Political Review essay, Allison McGourty described attending the October 2025 Boston demonstration before questioning whether the gatherings produced meaningful change. She argued that the movement’s broad opposition to the Trump administration lacked the specific objectives needed to secure policy results.

“By targeting the state of the country as a whole, rather than a specific issue, the movement built momentum that led nowhere,” McGourty wrote. Her criticism focused on the national movement’s strategy and legislative impact. 

A Wall Street Journal opinion column by Jonathan Alpert, headlined “‘No Kings’: Politics as Bad Group Therapy,” similarly questioned the demonstrations’ practical value. Its subtitle argued that participants “accomplish nothing practical but feel heard, validated and affirmed.” 

At the Arizona Capitol, DPS estimated approximately 5,000 attendees in June 2025 and 14,000–15,000 in October 2025, according to the Arizona Mirror. Its March 2026 coverage described thousands in downtown Phoenix and cited a Tempe police estimate of as many as 800 at Cole Park. The reports provided no measurement of the demonstrations’ effects on voter turnout or candidate preferences. This month’s local announcements emphasize activities intended to encourage participation at the polls.

Anthem Indivisible has scheduled a roadside rally from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 17 at West Anthem Way and North Gavilan Peak Parkway. Its announcement encourages early-voting signs, costumes and inflatables, and says organizers intend to connect participants with local election-protection roles. 

Indivisible’s national website identifies the Anthem event as community-hosted and includes a notice that it has not been vetted by the national organization.

Prescott Indivisible, which describes its mission as advancing progressive values through advocacy and activism, characterizes its October gathering as a nonpartisan effort to increase turnout. Its announcement says organizers will provide signs and American flags for participants. 

The national No Kings website similarly describes the upcoming mobilization as nonpartisan and intended to increase participation among all eligible voters. Its messaging cites household costs, including groceries, gasoline, and electricity, while alleging that efforts to undermine confidence in elections and restrict participation are occurring nationwide. 

National participation guidelines call for lawful, nonviolent conduct, exclude civil disobedience, and direct attendees to de-escalate confrontations. Organizers also ask participants to leave weapons at home, including those they may legally carry. 

According to the Republic, Arizona communities with planned events include Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Cottonwood, Payson, Prescott, Sierra Vista, Kingman and Tucson. 

The mobilization comes after Arizona’s voter-registration deadline and the opening of early voting. The Secretary of State’s election calendar lists Oct. 5 as the registration deadline and Oct. 7 as the beginning of early voting and early-ballot mailing. 

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission lists Oct. 23 as the deadline to request a ballot by mail and Oct. 30 as the last day for regular early in-person voting. Election Day polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.