No Kings Rallies Draw Long Island Crowds Ahead of Midterms

Long Island residents came out in force Oct. 17 for a string of No Kings rallies centered on early voting, with events in at least two communities across Suffolk and Nassau counties as part of a nationwide mobilization day before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Roughly 150 people gathered at Firefighters Park in Great Neck, a turnout that surpassed the expectations of organizer Nina Gordon. The rally was co-hosted by Reach Out America, the League of Women Voters, and Singing Resistance Great Neck. Former state Assemblymember Michelle Schimel and political advocate Robert Zimmerman both spoke to the crowd, a poet offered work on civic engagement, and participants joined together in song.

Gordon said organizers emphasized that election administration falls under state authority and encouraged attendees to tune out political noise. "Our vote is our power," she told the crowd, encouraging people to make a voting plan and bring someone else to the polls.

In Port Jefferson Station, a crowd convened at Train Car Park on Rose Avenue, drawing attendees from as far as Middle Island and Ridge. Elizabeth McFadden of Middle Island called on those present to take advantage of the early voting window. "Protect your vote, take advantage of the opportunity to vote early," she said. Shane Goldberg of Ridge described the rally's central message in simple terms. "We want to make sure people maintain their power and use the power of the vote," he said.

Gordon said the Great Neck event was among approximately 10 No Kings gatherings held across Long Island that day and was the only one in North Nassau. The national No Kings Coalition reported that nearly 3,000 events were held across all 50 states on Oct. 17, which the group called its largest coordinated early-voting push on a single day.

Singing Resistance Great Neck announced plans to perform at voting locations over the closing weekend of the early voting period.