'No Kings' rallies in Philadelphia and Delaware County urge residents to vote early

Rallies held Saturday under the "No Kings" banner in Philadelphia and Delaware County focused on encouraging voters to cast ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

The Inquirer reported that scores of people gathered at Philadelphia City Hall to protest President Donald Trump and, in some cases, to vote on the spot. The Capital-Star reported that several hundred people attended a separate rally outside the Delaware County Courthouse in Media. Both outlets said the events were part of a larger wave of rallies held across the region and the country that day.

Pennsylvania does not offer traditional early voting, the Inquirer noted. Instead, voters can visit their county elections office to register, request a mail ballot, fill it out and place it in a secure drop box at the same location. Any voter may use this option, but the Inquirer reported that Democrats are promoting it to boost turnout.

In Media, U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat who represents the 5th District, urged attendees to use the state's mail voting rules and to return ballots to one of 29 drop boxes in the county rather than through the Postal Service, the Capital-Star reported. She cited the Trump administration's efforts to restrict mail voting. "We've heard a lot of people having fears about this election, and I just want everybody to know we've got this," Scanlon said, according to the Capital-Star.

The Inquirer reported that the administration had sought to have the Postal Service deliver mail ballots only to people on state-compiled lists, an effort the U.S. Supreme Court rejected in September. A Society Hill resident told the Inquirer she preferred voting in person at City Hall because her ballot went straight into the box.

The Philadelphia rally also recruited poll watchers. Mike Cogbill, an organizer with Common Cause, told the Inquirer his group has signed up 1,000 poll watchers this year. Cogbill, who lost a Democratic state Senate primary this spring, said he expects the rallies to increase Democratic turnout.

Attendees at both events cited concerns including voting rights, rising prices, cuts to federal agencies and changes to the military. Stephen Benjamin of Fairmount, who voted at City Hall, told the Inquirer the election "feels absolutely pivotal."

In Media, members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County carried signs tracing the history of voting rights, the Capital-Star reported, while musicians led the crowd in protest songs between speeches.

The Capital-Star noted the election, about three weeks away, will determine control of Congress for the remainder of Trump's second term.

Compiled by True News from reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/189