Small Crowd Gathers at Foley’s Heritage Park for No Kings Rally, Urges Voter Turnout

FOLEY, Ala. — Roughly 30 people gathered in downtown Foley’s Heritage Park on Saturday, Oct. 17, for a Foley No Kings rally opposing President Donald Trump and his administration. The event was organized by Indivisible Mobile, a local chapter of the national progressive Indivisible network, and doubled as a push to get residents to the polls ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

The crowd was small by the standards of the large demonstrations that have carried the No Kings name in major cities, but it marked another instance of the movement reaching into Baldwin County, one of the most reliably Republican areas of a state that has voted for Republican presidential candidates in every election since 1980.

Sharp words for the president

Speakers and participants used the gathering to voice strong criticism of the president, accusing him of dishonesty and wrongdoing in pointed and personal terms. Some also directed harsh language at the voters who supported him, describing Trump’s backers in broadly disparaging ways.

The rally offered no formal program of elected officials or candidates, and the remarks reflected the personal views of those who spoke. Trump and his supporters have rejected the premise behind the No Kings label. The president has said publicly that he is not a king, and Republican leaders have dismissed the nationwide No Kings demonstrations as partisan events.

A message about voting

Beyond criticism of the administration, participants repeatedly returned to a single practical theme: voting. Several urged those in attendance and those passing by to make a plan to cast a ballot this fall and to vote early where they are able.

“Change Alabama, because for 15 years we have had nothing but Republicans,” one protester said. “It’s time for a change because republicans have put us in the position that we’re in. It’s time for them to go and let other people have representation.”

That remark reflects a political reality in the state. Republicans have held every statewide elected office in Alabama in recent years and have controlled both chambers of the Alabama Legislature since the 2010 elections, when the GOP won majorities in the House and Senate for the first time since Reconstruction.

Alabama voters who want to cast a ballot before Election Day should know the state’s rules differ from those in many other states. Alabama does not offer no-excuse early in-person voting. Instead, voters who meet one of the reasons allowed by state law, such as being out of the county on Election Day, having a disability or illness, working a shift that conflicts with polling hours, or being a student away from home, may vote absentee, either by mail or in person at their county’s absentee election office. Voters can review absentee requirements and deadlines, confirm their registration and find their polling place through the Alabama Secretary of State’s website at AlabamaVotes.gov or by contacting their county board of registrars.

In Baldwin County, absentee voting is handled through the office of the Baldwin County Circuit Clerk, which serves as the county’s absentee election manager.

The setting of Saturday’s event helps explain its size. Baldwin County is among the most Republican counties in Alabama. Trump carried the county with more than three-quarters of the vote in both the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, and Republicans hold the county’s legislative seats, county commission seats and countywide offices.

Democratic and progressive groups in the area have nonetheless continued to organize events and turnout drives in the county, which is one of the fastest-growing in the state.

Baldwin County is part of Alabama’s 1st Congressional District under the map now in effect. On the Nov. 3 ballot, voters in the district will choose between Democrat Clyde Jones and Republican Jerry Carl for the U.S. House seat.

About Indivisible and the No Kings movement

Indivisible was founded after the 2016 presidential election, when a group of former Democratic congressional staff members published an online guide encouraging citizens to organize locally and press their members of Congress to oppose the incoming Trump administration’s agenda. The guide spread quickly, and thousands of local groups formed around the country under the Indivisible banner. Indivisible Mobile is one of those groups and organizes events in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

The No Kings name emerged in 2025 as a rallying cry for protests against what organizers describe as the concentration of power in the presidency. Coordinated nationwide No Kings demonstrations were held on June 14, 2025, and again on Oct. 18, 2025 and drew participants in cities and towns across the country. Local groups have continued to hold No Kings events since then, often pairing them with voter registration and turnout efforts.

National organizers of No Kings events have emphasized nonviolence and lawful assembly, and they encourage local groups to keep events peaceful and family-friendly.

Heritage Park as a gathering place

Heritage Park is a six-acre green space in the heart of downtown Foley and has long served as the city’s central public gathering spot. The park is home to the Foley Depot Museum and its model train exhibit, which recall the town’s origins as a railroad community, as well as Centennial Plaza, built to mark Foley’s 100th anniversary in 2015. A covered pavilion in the park hosts many of the city’s annual festivals and events.

The city was founded in the early 20th century and named for John B. Foley, a Chicago businessman whose investment in land and a rail line helped establish the community. Today Foley is one of the fastest-growing cities in Baldwin County, with major retail and tourism attractions that draw visitors from across the Gulf Coast.

Public parks are traditional public forums under the First Amendment, which protects the rights of people to peaceably assemble and to express political views, regardless of their viewpoint. Groups planning large events in city parks may need to coordinate with local officials. In Foley, park event scheduling is handled through the city’s recreation department.

Looking ahead to Nov. 3

The general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, with races for Congress, state offices and local positions on the ballot across Baldwin County. Polls in Alabama are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters must present an acceptable photo ID to cast a ballot. Accepted forms include an Alabama driver’s license or nondriver ID, a U.S. passport, a military ID and a free Alabama photo voter ID card, which registered voters without other qualifying identification can obtain through their county board of registrars or the Secretary of State’s office.

Voters who arrive at the polls without an acceptable ID may cast a provisional ballot, which will be counted only if the voter provides a valid ID to the county board of registrars by the deadline set in state law.

Residents of all political views can find candidate lists and sample ballots through the Alabama Secretary of State’s office and the Baldwin County Probate Court, which oversees elections in the county.