PARKING / ROUTE / WHAT TO BRING / WHAT NOT TO BRING

• Bring Maine-Responsible Gear — We know summer is over, and the forecast says it’ll be in the low 50s, so don’t forget your coat and hat! If you get thirsty, bring a reusable bottle full of water. Pack the headache meds. Whatever it takes to stay safe and comfortable while you’re out for a few hours.
• Don’t Bring items or behaviors intended to escalate the situation toward violence. Even if it’s legal for you to carry, leave your weapons at home and help keep the demonstration fully expressive but nonviolent. We will have yellow-vested peacekeepers in the crowd trained in situational response. We strongly suggest you avoid responding to provocateurs (it’s what they want) and seek help from a yellow-vested peacekeeper.
• Bring Signs, Costumes and Other Creative Stuff! WE MEAN IT!!! Hankering to get into that inflatable T-rex costume? Go for it! Got just the right words for a sign? Bring it! Got a nonviolent resistance line dance to teach? Go the heck for that! People bringing their biggest selves to the civic square for full expression of liberty is what democracy is all about. Folks will cheer you on.
• Bring Friends. Every single vote is important. Send ten friends a text and ask them to come along. It’s a great reason to host a get-together with your ten friends after the protest!

POSTERS — PRINT ‘EM UP, STICK ‘EM ALL AROUND TOWN

March & Rally for Early Voting: PDF and PNG

PRESERVE THE VOTE TRIFOLD BROCHURE

Democracy 2050 Trifold Brochure focusing on Voting Resources: PDF

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AUDACITY CAT’s GUIDING PRINCIPLES

We diverge on many issues and have many different backgrounds and ideas — this is what democracy looks like. But our movement and this day of action agree on the following:

• We oppose authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption.
• We support inclusive democracy, equity, and freedom.
• We are nonviolent in our actions. Nonviolence at the core of both Audacity CAT & the national group that called for a No Kings Day for voters.

WHY ENGAGE IN NONVIOLENT PUBLIC PROTEST?

• The research of Political Science Professor Erica Chenoweth demonstrates that nonviolent protest is twice as likely as violent protest to result in the downfall of a repressive regime, and that when more than 3.5% of the population of a country is involved in public nonviolent protest, repressive regimes in history have universally been ended.
• One goal of public protest is to shift the “Overton Window” — the public perception of what sort of political opinions and behaviors are acceptable or unacceptable. When authoritarians push to make their behavior acceptable, public protest shifts the Overton Window of acceptability back toward classic democratic activity — such as the First Amendment activity of assembling to peaceably petition for redress of grievance.
• Another goal of public protest is to shift the media narrative — by making the news story one of resistance, we hope to bolster the courage of politicians to themselves in turn resist. As the old saying goes, when the people lead, the “leaders” will follow.

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For more than a year, millions of people have come together to reject the idea that power belongs to kings, billionaires, or politicians who believe they are above the people and the law.

Now, we are taking the next step, turning people power into voter power. Unlike previous No Kings actions, No Kings: Vote Early, is not purely a protest. Instead, on October 17th, it’s a day of nonpartisan voter participation: we are bringing our community together to make a plan to vote early and ensuring every eligible voter understands their options for how to vote and has the opportunity to make their voice heard.

Because no one person gets to decide our leaders before voters do. On October 17th, join us in local events across the country as we get out the early vote and say it loud: no thrones, no crowns, no kings.