At ‘No Kings’ rally in Atlanta, Black voters are urged to cast ballots early

Georgia’s first Saturday of early voting was marked by “No Kings” rallies in Atlanta and thousands more across the state and nation, during which organizers pushed voters to cast their midterm ballots now.

Chants of “Enough is enough,” “Black voters matter” and “Vote early” filled the Cascade Skating Rink parking lot in Southwest Atlanta, where several dozen people gathered to hear speeches and then marched to the nearby polling site at C.T. Martin Recreation Center.

“Our early vote is an act of resistance,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter Fund. “We are going to vote today, but then we are going to come together to protect our vote every other day.”

Early voting in Georgia began Tuesday and lasts through Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3.

As of late Saturday afternoon, nearly 800,000 early voters had cast in-person ballots across Georgia, including more than 86,000 on Saturday, according to the state’s unofficial online turnout tracker. More than 188,600 voters cast ballots in person on the first day of early voting, surpassing in-person turnout numbers for almost every single day of early voting during the midterm election cycle in 2022.

Saturday’s “No Kings” events, the latest installment in a series of protests against President Donald Trump’s administration, drew passionate rhetoric, but attendance was significantly smaller than previous ones that drew thousands in metro Atlanta. April Albright of Black Voters Matter Fund, one of the Atlanta event’s organizers, said it was intentionally different: The goal was to get people to the polls – not to the rally.

Nearly a dozen speeches from event organizers, community leaders and students at historically Black colleges were livestreamed nationally on the No Kings website. The power of Atlanta’s Black vote and the importance of early voting were stark themes, alongside references to concerns about voter suppression and a strong dissatisfaction with the current administration.

Nolan Wells’ name echoed through several speeches, including one by Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Bryant urged those gathered to exercise their right to vote on behalf of Wells, the 18-year-old Black teenager whose July death, and the law enforcement investigation into it, has drawn national attention. Bryant noted that this year would have been Wells’ first opportunity to vote.

“His name is not on the ballot, but it should be tattooed in your conscience,” he said. “Vote for Nolan Wells.”

Georgia voters will decide several closely contested races in the midterm elections, including the governor’s race between Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson. Democrats also have an opportunity to gain ground in the state Legislature and the Georgia Public Service Commission, making voter turnout a key factor in determining the balance of power in Georgia.

“We have to turn out like we have never turned out before,” said Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight Action. She warned that Republicans could use the next legislative session to redraw district maps in ways that weaken Democratic representation and Black political power.

Midterm elections often act as a referendum on the sitting president, and event speakers made their case against Trump.

“Why are we here today? Because enough is enough,” Charles Ramsey, pastor at Trinity A.M.E. Church, said. “Enough of high gas prices. Enough of struggling to afford healthcare. Enough of rising grocery prices. Enough of hardworking people struggling to make ends meet.”