About 300 people turned out Saturday on the Denton Square for a No Kings rally that organizers built around one request: vote early. The North Texas Daily, the University of North Texas student newspaper, reported the crowd estimate.
The Oct. 17 event, held in front of the county courthouse, was part of a national day of No Kings demonstrations. It featured speakers, live music and tables offering voting information, and participants walked the sidewalk loop around the courthouse.
Organizers' stated aim
Herlinda Glasscock, a member of Indivisible Denton and one of the organizers, said the goal was to get people to cast ballots before Election Day. "We really want to emphasize how important it is for people to show up at the polls and vote," she told the student paper.
Fredrick Bishop, a former Dallas police detective and a 2024 candidate for Denton County sheriff, served as emcee. He opened by describing the gathering as a peaceful rally and read a statement saying organizers were committed to nonviolence and trained to de-escalate. The student paper reported seeing no counterprotesters.
Two voter registrars, Jane Scholz and Adrian Taylor-Scott, spoke before the march, and Denton Songwriters Guild president Matt Grigsby performed between speeches.
