JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Thousands of No Kings rallies took place across the country Saturday, including several in Northeast Florida, as organizers shifted their focus toward encouraging people to vote early.<\/p>\n
The nationwide events, dubbed \u201cNo Kings: Vote Early,\u201d were aimed at emphasizing early voting ahead of next month\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n
About 200 people gathered outside the Duval County Courthouse in downtown Jacksonville. Similar events were held across the country, including near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as in Frisco, Texas, and West Palm Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make sure your vote gets in and that it counts and that we make sure democracy actually happens no matter what,\u201d said Jess Boaz, a Jacksonville event organizer.<\/p>\n
Boaz said Saturday\u2019s event differed from previous No Kings rallies, which have focused more on protesting the current presidential administration. This time, organizers emphasized voter participation and providing information about the upcoming federal election.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was smaller, more intimate, more informational, more entertainment,\u201d Boaz said. \u201cNot a lot of people know about voting, in general, especially during a midterm election, and so we want to make sure that people know that this is a prime time for us to take back a little bit of the power that we have lost over the last couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the rallies weren\u2019t without some pushback.<\/p>\n
Shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, the No Kings Coalition said on Instagram that Meta suspended its account during peak hours without explanation. Organizers said they lost access for about an hour and a half.<\/p>\n
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the national organizations behind the No Kings movement, called the situation alarming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey suspended it. We didn\u2019t have access to it. We couldn\u2019t post to it. Nobody could go to the page,\u201d Levin said. \u201cThat was for about an hour and a half during the height of the mobilization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the disruption, the coalition said millions of people participated in events nationwide.<\/p>\n
Early voting in Duval County begins Tuesday and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1.<\/p>\n
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