No Kings Rally in Santa Barbara Pays a Visit to a Ballot Box

An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people attended Saturday’s No Kings: Vote Early rally in downtown Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon. The rally asserted the importance of voting in the midterm election on November 3, which will decide the composition of the U.S. House and Senate.

Speakers included Ian Paige, his wife, Myra Paige, and former State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson. Myra Paige urged attendees not to take voting rights for granted, while Jackson encouraged the crowd to respond to national political concerns through the election.

Ian Paige also read prepared remarks from Primitiva Hernandez, executive director of 805UndocuFund. He said Hernandez was delayed in Santa Maria while responding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in her community. As he read her remarks, Paige became emotional: “I have to admit, I got choked up because of the injustice of what is happening,” he later said.

As of October 9, the 805UndocuFund Rapid Response Network had recorded nearly 100 immigration arrests across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties since October 5, including at least 63 in Santa Barbara County, according to previous Independent reporting.

Rally attendee Sara Carlson, who said she had attended earlier No Kings events, described Saturday’s crowd as smaller and older than those at previous rallies. She questioned why more students from UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College were not present. Carlson said she usually votes early but had not yet submitted her ballot. She listed immigration enforcement, the war in Iran, transgender rights, and women’s rights among her concerns.

“Just showing up and being a body in the crowd is important,” Carlson said. “There’s a long history of people creating change that way.”

The October 17 event began at noon at Alameda Park before marchers followed the Brasscals, a Santa Barbara street brass band, down Anacapa Street. The group stopped at the ballot drop box outside City Hall before continuing to De la Guerra Plaza.

One attendee was Holly Castle, 18, who had brought her ballot to deposit during the event. Castle is a UC Santa Barbara student and a member of Campus Democrats who volunteers with Indivisible Isla Vista. Castle left Alameda Park before the speeches ended to hand out flyers as marchers reached the plaza.

“It’s nice to have people working together,” Castle said. “There aren’t a lot of opportunities for us to get outside and do something together.”

As Paige estimated the crowd size, he described the group as responsive and appreciative. He said people gathered at the plaza to hear music, spend time with community members, and discuss how to vote safely and effectively.

No final count of ballots deposited during the march was immediately available. Paige said Indivisible Santa Barbara is working to ensure that vote counting is fair, that certification is on time, and that local election officials have the resources they need.