CENTRAL SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Hundreds of people packed Acacia Park and the front of city hall in Colorado Springs for a No Kings rally, urging Southern Colorado residents to get informed and cast their ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The scale of this year's ballot underscores the urgency demonstrators brought to the streets. In El Paso County, the Blue Book contains nine ballot issues alone. There are 14 measures statewide — a significant number of decisions that attendees say requires careful, independent research.
"You have got to go out and do your own research to find out if this agrees and aligns with what you think. There's a lot of issues out there right now that are very confusing, so it's important," Jeanie McIntyre said.
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Adding to the complexity, some of those measures co-align but are also different.
"Some are in conflict, direct conflict with each other, so it's important that people get informed and understand what they're voting for," Carrie O'Hara said.
Demonstrators said they also hope the rally encourages more people to register to vote alongside the nearly 500,000 registered voters already in El Paso County. O'Hara said the diversity of the crowd gave her hope.
"It's really encouraging to see lots of different people. I've seen people of all ages, different demographics, people who have been involved for a long time — it seems like — and then people like me. This is my first event," O'Hara said.
Related: Colorado voter guide to the 2026 midterm election: Everything you need to know before November
McIntyre said the message transcends any single issue.
"No matter how you feel about one policy or another, you have got to vote," McIntyre said.
"I wanted my voice to be heard and I wanted to do it besides being my vote," Laurie Sullivan said.
The call for civic action extended beyond the rally's regular attendees. Amanda and Sky Roberts, family of Epstein survivor Virginia Guiffre, also addressed the crowd, connecting accountability for those in power to the importance of exercising the right to vote.
"If protecting our children is a principle we can all agree on, if abusing a child is one of the most heinous acts a human being can commit and if presidents, princes and prime ministers are capable of that, then what else are they capable of? I don't ask that to make you angry. I ask it because anger that doesn't become action is just another distraction. In this country, your voice has power, and that power has a name. It's called a vote," Sky Roberts said.
During the speech, a counterprotestor carried a Soviet Union flag and got into a small altercation with some demonstrators. Sky Roberts addressed the moment directly from the stage.
"We don't sit here, we don't shove each other — we use our voice, we use our vote," Sky Roberts said.
At Acacia Park, some younger voters also took the opportunity to share their perspectives about abortion. They carried a sign that said "abortion is murder."
"We're not necessarily here opposing the protest. We're here because there's people here and we're trying to start conversations to reach people and keep our free speech open and expose people to these conversations because most people in our culture are scared to have these conversations, and I think that's an awful thing. Mostly people trying to block the signs and mute our free speech," Elijah Barnes said.
But they also say listening to the other side was constructive.
"I've had a couple of really good conversations and people were very respectful and they listen to our points and we listen to their points and there's some research that needed to be done on both ends, and so we both shook hands at the end and agreed to go back home and do our research," Noah Montgomery said.
Regardless of where voters stand on the issues, those I spoke with at the rally agreed: Nov. 3 is the day that matters most.
"I think it is important for everyone to vote no matter who you're voting for. I think that is your civic duty to vote. Our whole country was based on that and we can't function if people don't show up and vote. That's basic premise," Nancy Briley said.
