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People gather at the No Kings: Vote Early rally at Pacific Plaza in downtown Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.<\/p>\n
Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Hundreds of protesters gathered Saturday at Pacific Plaza in downtown Dallas<\/a> to criticize President Donald Trump’s<\/a> administration, with speakers urging demonstrators to make their voices heard beyond the rally and at the ballot box<\/a> when early voting<\/a> begins Monday.<\/p>\n With cooler weather settling over North Texas<\/a>, demonstrators carried signs calling for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, opposing war with Iran and criticizing Republicans. Others displayed signs supporting Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico<\/a>. No counterprotesters or significant police presence were observed at Pacific Plaza.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Demonstrators gathered at Pacific Plaza in downtown Dallas for the No Kings: Vote Early rally Saturday. Attendees carried signs protesting ICE and the war in Iran, and supporting Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico. Speakers urged attendees to head to the polls and use their voices at the ballot box ahead of the midterm election.<\/p>\n Shannon Worley, The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n The gathering was part of a nationwide round of No Kings demonstrations<\/a>, with events across all 50 states. The movement began in June 2025 in opposition to Trump administration policies and what participants consider the expansion of presidential power.<\/p>\n Organized locally by Indivisible Dallas, part of a nationwide progressive grassroots movement that opposes Trump administration policies, Saturday’s rally featured speakers from several organizations encouraging civic engagement ahead of November’s midterm elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n Early voting<\/a> in Texas runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3.<\/p>\n “Today is about early voting,” said Stephanie Williams, senior state organizing manager for Black Voters Matter.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Stephanie Williams with Black Voters Matter Fund speaks as people gather at the No Kings: Vote Early rally at Pacific Plaza in downtown Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.<\/p>\n Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Williams said her nonpartisan organization had spent months calling voters, knocking on doors and visiting churches to help people check their registration status and prepare for potential problems at polling locations.<\/p>\n She expressed concern about longtime voters unaware their registration records were on the state’s suspense list. The designation does not automatically disqualify someone from voting. Voters who remain registered in their county generally can cast a regular ballot after completing a statement of residence.<\/p>\n Related: Paxton, Talarico hit the road with competing messages in Texas Senate race<\/a><\/p>\n Brittany Packnett Cunningham of the Children’s Defense Fund, who is based in the Washington, D.C., area, said voting decisions also affect millions of Americans too young to cast ballots.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Cunningham participated in a “Read Aloud for Democracy” program with children and families at the rally. She said the organization was encouraging adults to consider how elections affect children’s access to education, health care and basic necessities.<\/p>\n “There are 73 million children in America under the age of 18 who cannot walk into a voting booth, but who will be impacted by every choice that’s made inside of it,” Cunningham said.<\/p>\n For some demonstrators, immigration enforcement was the driving concern.<\/p>\n Sukie Everett of Irving wears a crown made out of aluminum foil as people gather at the No Kings: Vote Early rally at Pacific Plaza in downtown Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.<\/p>\n Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Suki Everett said reports of federal agents targeting people based on their appearance and the treatment of immigrants detained under the Trump administration had drawn her into politics.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “I’ve never been interested in politics,” Everett said.<\/p>\n A neighbor’s insistence that people needed to speak out helped persuade her to attend.<\/p>\n Elisa Pradarits arrived dressed as the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, wearing a black judicial robe in tribute to the justice’s advocacy for women’s rights.<\/p>\n![\"Hundreds](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792328289_709_rawImage.jpg\")
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