People lined Oneida Avenue at Pioneer Park in Rhinelander Saturday.
They held signs saying things like “No Kings”, “Keep Our Public Lands Public”, and encouraging people to vote on November 3rd.
The couple hundred people gathered at Pioneer Park were some of the thousands that joined No Kings demonstrations across the country Saturday.
David Barnhill is a Northern Lights Indivisible member and one of the organizers of the Rhinelander No Kings rally. He said the protests started under the “No Kings” banner was to send a message to the Trump Administration.
“The reason we call it ‘No Kings’ is because we are fighting against Trump's attempt to turn the democracy into an autocracy, turn the presidency into an authoritarian regime, which he's been doing since day one,” said Barnhill.
One protestor made standing signs that spelled out “Strong Women Against Trump.” She says she came out to this and previous protests to protest “ineffective government.”
“It makes me feel like I'm doing something because it's easy to feel like what can you do? Like there's nothing you can do besides vote, of course, which is critically important,” she said.
Locally, No Kings events were also held in Eagle River, Phillips, and Ironwood as well as across the state.
This No Kings rally was focused on encouraging people to get out and vote early for the upcoming midterm election.
“It is absolutely crucial if we are going to stop what is going on now, this tendency towards authoritarianism, we need a lot of people to go out and vote, express their opinions,” said Barnhill. “We really encourage them to vote early.”
Wisconsin election officials have seen about a 30% decline in absentee ballots received compared to the 2022 election. In-person, absentee voting starts Tuesday, October 20th.
Some municipal offices may not offer additional in-person absentee hours. Check with your local clerk for availability.
