---
title: "Raleigh No Kings Events Shift to Early Voting Push"
url: https://www.hereraleigh.com/2026/10/17/raleigh-no-kings-early-voting-events/
date: 2026-10-17T06:35:24-04:00
modified: 2026-10-17T06:35:24-04:00
author: "Ally Marquez"
categories: ["Politics"]
site: "HERE Raleigh"
attribution: "HERE Raleigh"
---

# Raleigh No Kings Events Shift to Early Voting Push

> RALEIGH, N.C. — Organizers behind Saturday’s No Kings stops in Raleigh are pitching early ballots more than protest marches, aiming to move neighbors into Wake County’s early voting sites that opened Thursday. Morning plans put Coact at Lake Johnson in southwest Raleigh from 9 to 10 a.m. for a kayak meetup billed as Paddling to

*Source: [HERE Raleigh](https://www.hereraleigh.com/2026/10/17/raleigh-no-kings-early-voting-events/) — October 17, 2026 by Ally Marquez*

RALEIGH, N.C. — Organizers behind Saturday’s No Kings stops in Raleigh are pitching early ballots more than protest marches, aiming to move neighbors into Wake County’s early voting sites that opened Thursday.

Morning plans put Coact at Lake Johnson in southwest Raleigh from 9 to 10 a.m. for a kayak meetup billed as Paddling to the Polls, with boats under the footbridge and signs pointing people to places they can vote. The group calls itself a small neighbor circle that meets weekly for an hour of activism.

Afternoon plans shift to John Chavis Memorial Park in southeast Raleigh from 1 until 4 p.m., placing the crowd beside an early voting location that shuts at 3 p.m. Saturday. Hosts say the park stop is meant to put voters next to a working ballot station.

The local dates sit inside a nationwide day of action that mixes demonstration with nonpartisan turnout work. Listings also cover Apex, Chapel Hill, Clayton and Durham, with a statewide map on the No Kings mobilize page.

Wake County opened 18 early voting sites this midterm cycle, its largest midterm footprint yet, and those sites stay open through Oct. 31. Chapel Hill, Durham, Clayton and Apex told reporters they do not expect road closures for the weekend gatherings.

Earlier No Kings waves in North Carolina focused on administration policies; this round stresses making a concrete plan to vote early. Raleigh police had not posted a public traffic plan by late Friday as organizers locked in the Saturday schedule across the city.