{"id":499737,"date":"2026-10-18T01:42:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T01:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/499737\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T01:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T01:42:12","slug":"sacramento-area-no-kings-protests-aim-at-get-out-the-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/499737\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento-area \u2018No Kings\u2019 protests aim at get-out-the-vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the midterm elections<\/a> less than three weeks away, the latest \u201cNo Kings\u201d day of protests Saturday shifted from favoring large gatherings to small events around the Sacramento region that focused on direct action.<\/p>\n

So this meant no rally with thousands of people at the state Capitol, unlike the three previous \u201cNo Kings\u201d events held June 14, 2025<\/a>, Oct. 18, 2025<\/a> and March 28<\/a>. Instead, many events occurred around both the Sacramento region and the U.S., where protesters waved signs and made their voices heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe measure today of our success is not like with the big rallies where the measure is how many people turn out,\u201d said Ellen Chapman, one of the leaders of Indivisible Sacramento, who helped promote the different \u201cNo Kings\u201d events around the region.<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cToday, the measure of our success is: Are we going to turn out historic levels of early voters? And I think we\u2019re going to do that because there are 3,000 events going on across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bill Bill Ford, of Roseville, holds a sign during a “No Kings” get-out-the-vote rally at the Westfield Galleria in Roseville on Saturday. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at, and some of the voices heard, at Saturday\u2019s \u201cNo Kings\u201d events here:<\/p>\n

\u2018I think they\u2019re all important\u2019<\/p>\n

One of the early events in Sacramento was on the I-5 overpass at Sutterville Road, where protesters unfurled banners.<\/p>\n

There, Marilyn Miller stood dressed as the Statue of Liberty. She had bought the costume for $60 online, joining a group of roughly 15 to 20 people in the early going, earning honks from passing motorists and hoping that what she was doing would make a difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a smaller crowd here, but I don\u2019t know,\u201d Miller said. \u201cI think they\u2019re all important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nancy Conk, a Pocket resident, brought her 3-year-old dog, Molly, with her to the overpass. Conk, 79, said she had been protesting since the days of the Vietnam War. Now, she was focused on helping to increase voter participation ahead of the midterms.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing nothing is not an option,\u201d Conk said. \u201cSo, if we can even remind one person to go home and complete their ballot, drop off their ballot early, it\u2019s worth it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A short distance from Conk and her dog, sisters Linn Marlow and Stephanie Bryant stood, each holding a sign with the word \u201cNope\u201d on one side and \u201cVote\u201d on the other. Marlow, a graphic designer, had made the signs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to get people out to vote,\u201d Marlow said. \u201cIt\u2019s really important right now and I think if we don\u2019t show up, then we\u2019re gonna have even more of a mess than we have right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her sister echoed those thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to do something,\u201d Bryant said. \u201cI can\u2019t just sit and watch, because I get so angry and I remember Michelle Obama saying, \u2018If you are feeling that feeling, do something.\u2019 So you start doing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Got to start somewhere\u2019<\/p>\n

Dispersing events throughout the Sacramento area rather than just having a few high-profile gatherings meant different parts of town saw action. This included the intersection of Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge Road, where roughly 50 people were scattered holding signs.<\/p>\n

David Sanchez, a 68-year-old Sacramento resident, stood at the intersection around 10:15 a.m., holding a sign that encouraged people to honk for hope, equality, justice and America.<\/p>\n

Asked if he thought his group was making a difference, Sanchez replied, \u201cGot to start somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sam Sam Rivers stands with her child Korra, 3, for the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest Saturday at the intersection of Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge Road. Graham Womack gwomack@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Sam Rivers, who was pregnant and said she was four weeks from delivery, brought her 3-year-old daughter Korra, who was wearing an Elsa \u201cFrozen\u201d light blue dress Elsa. Asked why she attended the protest, Rivers said it was about setting an example for her daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want her to see that people have a hard fight ahead of us and we need to be out there every day, setting the example for younger generations and for older generations as well,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cEverybody needs to see someone like themselves and someone different out there as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"South South Sacramento residents Francisco Javier Pe\u00f1a and Yolanda Pe\u00f1a, who have been married for almost 50 years, attend the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest Saturday at Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge Road. Graham Womack gwomack@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Others at the gathering included Francisco Javier Pe\u00f1a and Yolanda Pe\u00f1a, a married couple of nearly 50 years who live in south Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Francisco Javier Pe\u00f1a said he was born in the Mexican state of Jalisco, near Guadalajara, and was brought to America at 8 months old. He said his family had come to the U.S. \u201cbecause this was a land of opportunity and the idea that it\u2019s not the same anymore just really bugs the heck out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yolanda Pe\u00f1a was glad she came.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good thing being out here because it shows, especially this president, that we don\u2019t all agree with what he\u2019s doing and everything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018We just like to be a part of it\u2019<\/p>\n

A relatively large gathering by Saturday\u2019s standards for \u201cNo Kings\u201d in Sacramento appeared to show up by the McKinley Park rose garden. About 100 people were there around noon.<\/p>\n

Melissa Snaer, a fifth-grade teacher, said she and her husband had travelled from Manteca that morning, stopping at \u201cNo Kings\u201d events in Tracy and Stockton along the way. This event, she noted, was the largest one she had attended Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to see a bigger turnout and be around more people, like-minded morals and values,\u201d said Snaer, 48. \u201cAnd we just like to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some people held lighthearted signs or effigies, such as Sherman Holmes-Gen, a 65-year-old state worker who held a balloon of President Donald Trump that resembled a toddler and was attached to a broken nine-iron golf club.<\/p>\n

Dave Levey, 74, stood to the side of action. He was with his wife Edy Levey and steadying himself with a cane, having recently had back surgery.<\/p>\n

But he wasn\u2019t going to miss this day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think it\u2019s important to show what all these people are talking about,\u201d Levey said. \u201cWe\u2019re very much opposed to the condition of the country right now because of the president.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event had a lively feel. Passing motorists continually honked their horns. Protesters sang \u201cWe Shall Overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry Criswell, questioned the day\u2019s outcome. Asked if he was confident his actions would make a difference, Criswell said he hoped so, but that he didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis many people just kind of agreeing, it\u2019s like I\u2019m preaching to the choir,\u201d Criswell said.<\/p>\n

\u2018You have a voice\u2019<\/p>\n

About 500 demonstrators gathered on the corners of a major intersection in front of the Westfield Galleria mall in Roseville, many holding signs encouraging the get-out-the-vote effort.<\/p>\n

One of them was Rocklin resident Diana Madoshi.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here I\u2019m here because I do not like the way our country is headed,\u201d she said. \u201cI oppose fascism. I oppose ICE. I oppose the hate and bigotry that that is seen to be guided by certain people in this administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Diana Diana Madoshi, of Rocklin, holds a sign as she joins a crowd of about 500 demonstrators at the Westfield Galleria in Roseville for a “No Kings” get-out-the-vote rally on Saturday. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Roseville resident Malcolm Perry, a West Point graduate who served two tours in the Middle East, said he attended the protest because he feels the Trump administration is flouting the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica is founded on law and order and making sure that everyone is equal under the law,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only thing holding us together is the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shirley Hess-Waltz, another Roseville resident, spoke to the theme of the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a voice,\u201d she said. \u201cGet out there and vote and don\u2019t be passive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A A large crowd gathers at the Galleria at Roseville for a \u201cNo Kings\u201d get-out-the-vote rall on Saturday. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Hector Amezcua contributed to this story.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published October 17, 2026 at 3:55 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Graham Womack<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Graham Womack is a general assignment reporter for The Sacramento Bee. Prior to joining The Bee full-time in September 2025, he freelanced for the publication for several years. His work has won several California Journalism Awards and spurred state legislation.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the midterm elections less than three weeks away, the latest \u201cNo Kings\u201d day of protests Saturday shifted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499738,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-499737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=499737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=499737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=499737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=499737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}