Something interesting is happening with the No Kings movement here in the Triad.
And I think it represents something bigger than another protest.
For the past year and a half, thousands of people have shown up at No Kings rallies in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, many of them protesting the policies of President Trump. But the events scheduled for October 17 appear to be shifting the emphasis.
The message now is much simpler:
Vote.
Not just complain.
Not just march.
Not just post something on Facebook.
Vote.
And even more importantly: help somebody else vote.
That distinction matters.
Because we’ve gotten very good in America at being spectators to politics. We watch cable news. We argue online. We put signs in our yards. We complain about Washington. We complain about Raleigh. We complain about City Hall.
But democracy isn’t a television program.
You have to participate.
The October 17 events are interesting because they’re trying to turn that idea into something practical.
In Greensboro, the first event is scheduled for 10:30 in the morning in front of the old Guilford County Courthouse downtown. The emphasis is early voting—making sure eligible voters understand their options, make a plan and ultimately have their votes counted.
Then, beginning at noon, there’s another Greensboro event along a two-mile stretch of West Gate City Boulevard.
Organizers describe that event as nonpartisan and primarily focused on voter participation. People can also speak about issues affecting their communities, the state and the country.
Meanwhile, Winston-Salem is doing something slightly different.
Four marches will approach Corpening Plaza from different directions. People can walk the whole route, join somewhere along the way or simply meet everybody at the plaza.
But here’s the part I find most interesting.
Once they arrive, the objective isn’t simply to give everybody a speech and send them home feeling good.
The organizers say they want people leaving knowing exactly what they’re going to do between October 17 and Election Day.
Now we’re talking.
Maybe you’re going to canvass.
Maybe you’re going to volunteer.
Maybe you’re going to give somebody a ride to the polls.
Maybe you’re going to help somebody understand early voting.
Maybe you’re simply going to find one person who normally doesn’t vote and say:
Come with me.
That’s how participation grows.
And there’s another detail about these events that I think is important: organizers say campaign materials won’t be part of the mobilization area.
That sends a useful message.
This isn’t supposed to be about telling you who to vote for.
It’s about telling you:
You matter enough to vote.
That’s a principle Democrats, Republicans, independents and people who can’t stand any of them ought to be able to agree on.
I’ve been thinking about voter participation a lot lately, and I’ve come to believe we’ve been approaching democracy backward.
Every election we spend billions of dollars trying to convince the people who already vote to vote for one side or the other.
What if we spent more energy talking to the people who don’t participate at all?
Why don’t they vote?
Do they think their vote doesn’t matter?
Do they distrust the system?
Are they confused about registration?
Are they working two jobs and politics is the last thing on their mind?
Or has nobody ever simply looked them in the eye and asked:
What would make you want to participate?
That’s the conversation I’d like America to start having.
Because I don’t particularly care whether somebody agrees with me politically.
I care whether they’re engaged.
In fact, democracy gets stronger when people who disagree participate.
That’s the whole damn idea.
And this is especially important for younger voters.
Instead of lecturing Gen Z about civic responsibility, give them something to own. Let them organize. Let them use technology. Let them communicate in ways previous generations never imagined.
Give somebody responsibility instead of another political commercial.
We’re approaching politics as though citizenship means choosing between Team Red and Team Blue.
Citizenship is bigger than that.
It’s knowing what’s happening in your neighborhood.
It’s showing up at a city council meeting.
It’s talking to somebody you don’t agree with.
It’s helping your neighbor get to the polls.
And yes—it’s voting.
That’s why I think October 17 could represent something worth paying attention to.
The march isn’t the accomplishment.
What happens after the march is the accomplishment.
If 1,000 people march and everybody goes home, we’ve had a nice afternoon.
But if 1,000 people march and each person brings one new voter into the process?
Now you’ve got 2,000.
And if those people bring somebody?
Now you’ve started something.
That’s how movements grow.
Not because somebody at the top tells everybody what to think.
They grow because ordinary people decide:
I’m no longer going to be a spectator.
So whatever your politics are, here’s my challenge.
Find one person who normally doesn’t participate.
Don’t tell them how to vote.
Ask them why they don’t.
Listen to the answer.
Help them if they need help.
And then tell them:
Your country doesn’t need another spectator.
It needs another citizen.