BETHLEHEM, Pa. — No Kings protesters will line five Lehigh Valley roadsides Saturday to urge people to vote early in the Nov. 3 midterm election.
The gatherings come two days before Pennsylvania’s registration deadline, and in a state with no early voting, as Lehigh County’s elections office says on its website. Voting ahead of Election Day here means a mail ballot, which a registered voter can request, fill out and hand in during one visit to a county elections office, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Northampton County’s office will be open for that Saturday morning. Lehigh County’s office is open only on weekdays.
Indivisible Lehigh Valley Bethlehem is organizing the gatherings with Common Cause and, according to the group’s media advisory, the American Civil Liberties Union. They are part of a national day the No Kings coalition calls No Kings: Vote Early. Earlier No Kings days were nationwide protests against the Trump administration’s policies.
“No Kings: Vote Early is a departure from No Kings events of the past,” the advisory says.
A No Kings rally on March 28 drew more than 1,000 people to the Bethlehem Rose Garden for speeches and live music. Saturday’s gatherings are roadside and run 60 to 90 minutes each.
Where and when
Times and places are from the organizers’ event listings.
- Bethlehem Township: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., William Penn Park and Ride, William Penn Highway and Emrick Boulevard
- Dorneyville: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Lincoln Avenue and Hamilton Boulevard, across from Dorney Park
- Bethlehem: 2 to 3 p.m., Hill to Hill Bridge, Wyandotte Street and Route 378
- Easton area: 2 to 3 p.m., South 25th Street and William Penn Highway
- Allentown: 2 to 3 p.m., Tilghman Street and North Cedar Crest Boulevard
The group’s advisory lists the park-and-ride gathering under Easton; its event listing says Bethlehem Township. Organizers there will collect canned and boxed food for Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and staff a voter information table, the listing says.
Common Cause and Indivisible will supply signs and banners at each location, the group says. The listings ask participants to act lawfully and not to bring weapons.
Voting before Election Day
In Northampton County, the elections office on the lower level of the Government Center, 669 Washington St. in Easton, will hand ballots over the counter from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, the county said. Voters must bring a valid ID. Those who already applied for a mail ballot are not eligible and must wait for it in the mail.
In Lehigh County, the voter office at 17 S. Seventh St. in Allentown is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Its office and mail ballot pages list no hours on Saturdays. A drop box at the building’s main entrance accepts completed ballots 24/7.
The deadlines, according to the state:
- Monday: last day to register
- Oct. 27: last day to apply for a mail ballot
- 8 p.m. Nov. 3: completed mail ballots must be at the county elections office
Who is behind it
Organizers describe Saturday’s events as nonpartisan. The Bethlehem chapter, which says it has 2,800 members, says in the advisory that its work aims to stop what it calls the Trump administration’s assault on democracy. Its events page also invites volunteers to a work party Sunday to help flip Pennsylvania’s District 7 seat in Congress to Democrats.
The advisory also lists voter assistance hotlines, including 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) in English and separate lines in Spanish, Asian languages and Arabic.