Logan rally encourages early voting

We The People Cache Valley held a No Kings: Vote Early rally in Logan on Saturday, Oct. 17. This rally was a celebration and a motivator to encourage others to vote early in the upcoming Nov. 3 elections.

Cache Valley Daily said the No Kings: Vote Early rally was one of around 3,000 events across the nation.

One of the main events at the rally was to promote early voting, and organizers encouraged attendees to come with their ballots in hand.

The rally had organized main speakers to raise awareness about voting, as well as other government ideologies.

Nico Matiana, an advocate for immigrant rights, wanted to bring awareness to this rally about the rising ICE presence in Logan. Matiana claimed beginning this summer, a Logan resident was being removed from their home every other day, coming to a total of over 200 individuals.

Matiana also wanted to emphasize there are many ways to be involved in this movement and help keep families together. She said available and needed services include financial help with legal fees and legal documentation of ICE presence in Logan. She said to remember immigrants are your friends, coworkers and neighbors.

“Voting can really dramatically in this election change the situation for immigrants,” Matiana said.

When asked for one message to our government and country, Matiana emphasized we should dive deeper into the topic and determine an explanation for ourselves, rather than copying someone else’s.

“Who’s actually causing the issues that we are experiencing?” Matiana said.

Many participants at this rally were asking questions about the causes and effects of the choices being made in our government right now.

Shannon Barton, a participant and volunteer at the rally, has been involved in similar rallies in the past and has a strong passion for the cause.

Barton wants to raise awareness about the No Kings rallies in general and wants to see more people attending these rallies and speaking out about their beliefs.

Barton also cares deeply about the environment, especially national parks, and believes others do as well. She explained the significance of the reduction in acreage of the Bears Ears National Monument.

Barton wants to see citizens take voting seriously and participate in the general elections. She wants to see U.S. citizens taking steps towards making real change.

“I think people were taking voting for granted,” Barton said.

Showing up was a key takeaway and reason for attendance at this rally.

Nancy Hundley, part of the de-escalation team at the rally, said showing up and doing what needs to be done was her main motivator to attend the rally.

“We show up with our heads and our hands and our hearts, and that’s how we support our community,” Hundley said.

Showing up to vote was an important idea for many attendees at the rally.

Rich Guy, a participant at the rally, talked about the importance of voting, especially for young adults.

“In order to make a change or to sustain whatever it is you believe in, you’ve got to vote,” Guy said.

Guy explained young adults aren’t voting as consistently as they should be and that their votes matter.

“We’re really counting on younger people to step up and make a difference for this nation,” Guy said.

Patrick Belmont, a candidate for Utah’s House District 3 and professor in the Watershed Sciences Department at USU, believes voting is one of the most impactful ways the citizens can influence how the government is run.

He explained that we have seen the impact that voting has had on our lives up to this point.

“We’ve seen how these big decisions made by people affect the way that we live, the quality of life that we have, the quality of life that future generations are going to have,” Belmont said.

Belmont asks that U.S. citizens take the time to reflect on their values and research what issues and causes speak to them.

“Show up in ways that are really consistent with that,” Belmont said.