Local activism group Keystone Indivisible held the No Kings: Bank the Vote demonstration downtown Saturday afternoon, as part of the nationwide No Kings Day of Action.

While this isn’t the first No Kings event in State College, the day focused on encouraging early voting and participation in the upcoming midterms, not partisan action.

Keystone Indivisible encouraged participants not to bring campaign signs and advertised it to all political affiliations.

At 1 p.m., the event kicked off in MLK Plaza with a drumming circle as participants arrived. Signs encouraging civic action read “Please vote,” “Every vote counts,” and “Vote for our future.”

“No Kings: Bank the Vote is a celebration of community,” one speaker said. “A celebration of the power we have when we exercise our right to vote.”

The location in MLK Plaza, she continued, nods to the civil rights movement that paved the way for peaceful protests like this one.

Speakers included Dotty Delafield of Keystone Indivisible and Robert Zeigler with Central Pennsylvania United.

“The power is in each one of you individually,” Zeigler said to the crowd.

Tabling around the plaza also offered free apple cider, donuts, and red, white, and blue pom poms and drumming sticks for people to take while marching

The local Justice Singers group took to the stage to lead chants about democracy and call-and-response songs like “Everybody’s got a right to vote.”

The speakers spoke out against the current administration and called for a change in government in the upcoming midterms, which can only happen through voting.

Since the start of the Keystone Indivisible meetings, people from both the Democratic and Republican parties have joined. The main focus isn’t on partisan division; it’s issues like the cost of living, the Epstein Files, and the war in Iran that they care about.

“Fascism is non-partisan,” Maren Larson, a member of the steering committee, said.

The group emphasized that it was not a protest or a traditional march, but an opportunity for the community to come together around a shared concern for democracy.

“It was billed at national as something just a little bit different to be about voting rights and banking notes,” Larson said. “A commitment to our constitution takes all of us.”

Around 1:45 p.m., Delafield announced the plans to march to the State College Municipal Building on Allen Street. State College residents who wanted to mail in their ballots were encouraged to bring them to the drop box. Those from out of town or who prefer to vote in person were encouraged to march alongside the group.

The parade marched to College Ave., over to Allen Street, and down to the municipal building before looping back to the plaza.

“Value the freedom that we have and the right to vote and how important it is to have your voice be heard,” Connie Kossan, a member of Keystone Indivisible, said. “So many people say I’m not going to bother to vote; I won’t make a difference, but every single vote makes a difference. This is our opportunity to tell our government what we want.”

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