ORANGE – Around 200 people showed up for Saturday’s “No Kings – Vote Early Block Party,” held at Memorial Park in Orange, according to Ruth Suyanaga, a member of the steering committee of Indivisible North Quabbin (INQ), which organized the event.
This was the fourth such rally held by INQ in Orange since President Donald Trump was sworn in to his second term, and was one of an estimated 3,000 held across the nation over the weekend.
INQ had three goals in mind with this event, said Suyanaga – to publicize that Saturday marked the first day of early voting for the mid-term elections in Massachusetts; to help people register to vote; and to encourage area voters to cast a ballot.
“I think there are about 3,000 of these events around the country today,” said Suyanaga, who also heads up INQ’s Voting Team. “These weren’t billed as events trying to attract a large number of people – we just wanted to get people in voting. That’s what our group has been doing for about a year now, doing voter registration.
“It’s also about community building,” she added. “I think people feel a real need to come together to work for a change in course for this country.”
Peter Cross of Orange was one of those who took advantage of early voting Saturday.
“I’ve studied the ballot questions, the voter guide and the candidates. Even though Massachusetts is not a ‘red’ state, I do worry about things that might happen on Election Day, if had chosen to vote then,” he said. “And I also had concerns about things that might happen if I mailed my ballot. So, I chose not to do either one of those and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just vote as early as I can.’”
With his vote already cast, Cross said he can now spend more time advocating for a candidate.
“I can stand 150 feet away from the polls and advocate while knowing I’ve already done my civic duty,” he added.
Debbie Biechele said she voted early “for a couple of reasons. My husband and I had studied the questions and looked at the candidates, so we were ready to vote; we just wanted to go in early and vote. We weren’t the first ones there, but pretty close. It was a good atmosphere to vote in; there was no hustle and bustle.
“And waiting until Election Day,” she continued, “anything can happen – weather, illness, all kinds of things can happen. So, it’s a relief to have it done. And now I feel like I don’t have to bothered by all of the ‘noise’ about the candidates or questions because it’s done.”
While the main purpose of the event was to register new voters or provide voter information, people gathered along South Main Street and in Memorial Park throughout midday to hold signs addressing a wide array of issues, policies and candidates. In addition, many at the rally brought food and personal care items to donate to the Orange Food Pantry.
As Nov.3 draws closer, Indivisible North Quabbin has plans to do phone banking for Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Troy Jackson, who is hoping to unseat incumbent Republican Susan Collins. Individuals are also being recruited to work as poll monitors, with training led by the ACLU and Common Cause.