urge overseas turnout for US midterms
By Ven Černjul | News | October 29th 2026
Cover Illustration: “Trump Protest, 2025. Colin Lloyd / Unsplash”
Raise your voice and make your choice, even from abroad! Hard news reporter Ven Černjul recounts the importance of solidarity rally at Museumplein in the light of upcoming US midterm elections.
Americans living in the Netherlands gathered at Museumplein on Saturday, October 17, 2026 as part of a rally aimed at protesting the Trump administration and encouraging overseas voting ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The rally, named No Tyrants: Vote Early Solidarity Rally, served as the Dutch counterpart to the nationwide No Kings protests in the United States. The No Kings movement has brought millions into American streets to protest Donald Trump’s second-term policies, focusing largely on opposing executive overreach, protecting democratic norms and driving turnout ahead of the upcoming elections.
Held at the midpoint of each four-year presidential term, U.S. midterm elections determine the balance of power in Congress and whether it will be sympathetic to a sitting president’s agenda for the rest of their term. Voters cast ballots for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and roughly one-third of the seats in the Senate. Seats in the House of Representatives are given to American states proportionately to population, whereas every state has exactly two Senators.
The Amsterdam rally was organized by Indivisible Netherlands which was founded in January of 2026 as a chapter of the global Indivisible network. Indivisible functions as a central organizing hub for the American grassroots left, training local volunteer groups to lobby their lawmakers and protect ballot access. The organization has been active since 2016.
The crowd at Museumplein consisted of longtime American residents of the Netherlands and those that have moved just recently. A notable minority of Dutch people also arrived to show solidarity with the protesters. Among the attendees, a frequent conversation topic was the stark contrast between the U.S. and Dutch political systems, with many pointing to the Netherlands’ robust social safety net as a model they hope to see realized back home.
Outside of the changes that people would like to see in the U.S., people spoke of their concern for the direction the country is going in and a fear of what they perceive as democratic backsliding and the drift towards authoritarianism. Some warned that these political currents are already spilling into Europe, framing the U.S. climate as a cautionary tale for the continent and a stark reminder that democratic norms cannot be taken for granted.
“Living abroad does not necessarily mean we can bury our heads and just pretend it’s going away,”
Cody Hoskins, a political strategist, addressed attendees. “Living abroad does not necessarily mean we can bury our heads and just pretend it’s going away,” Hoskins said, speaking of the state of American politics. He held a senior role in Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign that focused on universal healthcare and addressing income inequality and climate change. Hoskins underscored the necessity of voting, regardless of where voters are from in the United States, saying that “everybody has a House seat that is up for election”.
Gennifer Geer, a volunteer with votefromabroad.org, urged Americans in the Netherlands to request their ballots, reminding the crowd that the deadlines in many U.S. states have not passed.
Under federal law, an overseas citizen’s voting state is determined by the last U.S. address where they resided before moving abroad, regardless of whether they still own property, have local ties or plan to return. Americans can request their ballot by completing the Federal Post Card Application either digitally or by mail. Once the application is approved, electronic delivery of the blank ballot itself is available to every eligible American. “Federal law actually requires that your election authority email it to you if you request,” Geer said. Whether a completed ballot can be submitted digitally or must be sent by mail varies by state.
According to the Federal Voting Assistance Program, 11% of U.S. citizens abroad voted in the last federal election. “Some people who live abroad think U.S. politics do not concern them anymore. That excuse though does not have any steam these days. What is happening in the U.S. affects all of us, from wars to tariffs to upending the global economy,” said Hayley Hughes, co-founder of Indivisible Netherlands and organizer of the rally.
Alongside the political speeches and voter registration efforts, comedians Greg Shapiro and Derek Mitchell addressed the crowd. They provided comic relief to the otherwise intense demonstration. Shapiro impersonated Donald Trump, while Mitchell talked about cultural differences between Dutch and American people. Both urged attendees to vote and criticized what they view as an authoritarian turn in American politics.
The rally also featured a charity bake sale benefiting Public Citizen and the American Civil Liberties Union, two U.S. nonprofits focused on government accountability and civil rights.
Speakers at the rally warned against what they described as democratic backsliding and a growing risk of authoritarianism in the U.S. “It’s a referendum on democracy itself,” Hughes said. “Are we going to continue to have a voice, or will our voice be suppressed?” Geer said that she and her colleagues were concerned about voter intimidation. “On Election day, we’re expecting, frankly, federal agents outside of polling places. We are expecting more disorganized militias trying to prevent people from voting.”
Organizations such as the Brennan Center for Justice and the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections have also warned about immigration enforcement at voting sites and intimidation of poll workers, respectively.
“There is also a lot of hope at this moment,”
Still, speakers at the rally were optimistic about voter engagement. “We’ve seen a huge amount of energy for voters, especially with young voters and voters who maybe have never voted before. We’re seeing record numbers of turnout in the primary,” Hoskins said.
Hughes addressed students and young people, saying, “Don’t ever think that you don’t have a place. There is always a place at the table for you, and you will learn. You will learn things not just about how the world works, but also for yourself and to come into your own power and see what you’re capable of.” Organizers urged all eligible American students to cast their ballots even if they feel disillusioned with the country’s current direction. “There is also a lot of hope at this moment,” Hughes said.
Despite the heavy focus on electoral anxieties and the nation’s political future, the rally fostered a distinct atmosphere of community. It offered the U.S. diaspora a space to connect and find common ground. For the Americans gathered at Museumplein, the demonstration served as a physical reminder that while they may live an ocean away, the issues driving politics at home remain deeply woven into their everyday lives.
Ven Černjul is a university student in Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer.
