About 30 people lined both sides of Route 9W at Haviland Avenue on Saturday morning to urge residents to vote early, in what organizers said was the first No Kings event held in the Town of Lloyd.
Highland Indivisible hosted the rally, which was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It was part of the fourth nationwide No Kings day of action. Unlike earlier mass-mobilization marches, this round is billed as a nonpartisan “No Kings: Vote Early” campaign focused on turnout in the midterm elections.
Organizers said events across the country also serve as voter-registration drives and sources of information on early voting options and voting rights.
Early voting in Ulster County runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.
More than 3,000 events were scheduled nationwide, including in Washington, D.C., New York City, Atlanta, Salt Lake City and Portland, Ore., according to organizers. Locally, demonstrations also took place in Kingston, Beacon, Poughkeepsie, New Paltz, Newburgh, Rhinebeck and Goshen.
Ulster County Legislator Dominick Marino, who represents District 10, including Highland and Marlborough, said he had not seen a gathering like this in Lloyd.
“I truly believe that this is our last chance to hold onto it, taking the House back and possibly the Senate,” Marino said of American democracy.
Marino said he has been campaigning and talking to voters since July, as he did in 2025. He also criticized President Donald Trump.
“When you do not stand up to the tyranny of Donald Trump, in my opinion, complicity is just as bad,” Marino said.
Phyllis Reer, an organizer with Highland Indivisible, said she joined the group because of her family’s long involvement in politics. She said she was encouraged to see people at the rally she did not know.
“It’s not one party or the other, it’s just get out the vote, vote early,” Reer said.
Handouts provided by Highland Indivisible describe the organization as “a pro-democracy group in Highland NY taking action to stop the would-be king.” It is part of a nationwide Indivisible Organization. Email them at Highlandindiv@gmail.com for more information.