Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Oct 18: Rallies organised by the No Kings network opposing US President Donald Trump were held across cities and communities in the United States on Saturday, urging Americans to vote early in the November 3 midterm elections.

Hundreds of planned events were described as nonpartisan, building on nearly two years of No Kings marches and demonstrations by people opposed to Trump's presidency.

At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, a band entertained a crowd of several hundred people despite chilly weather. Participants danced to the music while holding signs reading “VOTE EARLY” and “HANDS OFF MY VOTE!”

At a rally in Atlanta, City Councilman Michael Julian Bond urged people to encourage others to vote before the November 3 general election.

“The Constitution gives you one power, right? That is the power to vote. Are you gonna use that power?” Bond asked the crowd, drawing comparisons with superheroes to emphasise the importance of exercising the right to vote.

Trump has repeatedly expressed suspicion about mail-in voting and claimed, without evidence, that voter fraud cost him the 2020 presidential election.

The Trump administration sued California election officials on Thursday, seeking a court order preventing the state from counting mail-in ballots cast in the midterm elections by people identified by the federal government as “likely” noncitizens until their immigration status is verified.

On Friday, the US Justice Department warned that local officials who process and count ballots submitted by suspected noncitizen voters could face criminal investigations and potential prosecution.

Earlier that day, Democratic Senators Alex Padilla of California, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Dick Durbin of Illinois wrote to Attorney General Todd Blanche, demanding an assurance that the Justice Department would not seize ballots or other election materials before the midterm elections are certified.