No Kings: Vote Early tries to motivate Muskingum County voters this election season

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The third No-Kings event of the year took place on Saturday at the Muskingum County Courthouse with an emphasis on getting out to vote. 

Around 80 people gathered in downtown Zanesville to motivate people to vote, vote early, and vote blue. Zanesville and Cambridge were two of over 70 protests across Ohio, and part over 1500 across the country. Anne Blood is a mortgage servicer and Muskingum County resident who’s been to several No Kings protests. She explains what motivates her to keep showing up. 

“I was raised Republican, but I was always, we were encouraged to vote, we were encouraged to be knowledgeable voters and be aware of what’s happening with our government, local, state, and federal. So, I’ve just always stayed engaged with it my whole life and as I got older and grew up and it affected me more directly as an adult and as a mother,” Blood said. “I kind of shifted where I, what I cared about and how I cared about it and that’s why I’ve been coming to most of these as a result. I’m doing it mostly for my kids.” 

Stephen Ulrich is also a routine participant for the No Kings Protests in Zanesville and a Muskingum County resident. He’s a retired military medical officer and a retired family practice doctor. With polls showing a possibility of Democrats taking the House and the Senate, we asked Ulrich what he hopes will happen if the take the legislative branch. 

“I just hope that they don’t overstretch things, that they stay focused on what we can do to improve the economy and reduce the cost of living and improve the availability of healthcare,” Ulrich said. “I’m a retired family doc, spent 44 years, down in Perry County practicing family medicine. And I’m just really disappointed to see what’s happening, especially to Medicaid and availability of healthcare and the impact that will have on our rural hospitals.”

Ulrich is referring to Medicaid cuts made through the One Big Beautiful Bill, which was passed in 2025. The primary point of Saturday’s No Kings Protest is to remind people to vote. Election Day is Nov. 3 and you can vote early by visiting your county board of elections’ office.