Hundreds of people gathered Saturday at the Benton County Courthouse in Corvallis for No Kings: Vote Early, part of a nationwide day of events aimed at getting voters to return their ballots early for the Nov. 3 general election.
Organizers said more than 3,000 similar events took place across the country Oct. 17. The national effort is being coordinated by a coalition that includes Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union, 50501, the American Federation of Teachers, Black Votes Matter Fund, MoveOn, Public Citizen and Voto Latino. Organizers describe the events as nonpartisan.
The Corvallis gathering took on a festive tone. A red carpet ran from the curb on Fourth Street to the courthouse ballot drop box, and a costumed character called Barney Ballot Box — a walking ballot box with oversized cartoon hands — waved at passing traffic and greeted people as they dropped off their ballots. A banner reading “YOUR VOTE MATTERS” hung above the crowd while music played from a “Boogie for Ballots” dance party…