'A Nation That Delivers For Everyone': Online Get Out the Vote Rally Celebrates Hope, Unity, Accountability

Stacey Abrams, Michael Lewis and a powerhouse lineup of speakers ignite Stand Up for Science’s Virtual & Accessible No Kings Day Rally

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- At Stand Up for Science’s Virtual & Accessible No Kings Day Rally this past Saturday, the energy was unmistakable as supporters heard from speakers from the activist, scientific, disability, international, and voting rights communities. One message was clear: democracy and science are worth fighting for, and they depend on the people who show up. The rally sent attendees away full of hope, fired up, and ready to use their shared power to “get good done,” as speaker Stacey Abrams remarked.

Seventeen days before Election Day, the get-out-the-vote rally was designed so that no one was left out of the National No Kings Day of Action due to geography or ability. A common thread among the speakers’ remarks was the importance of access: access to care, to science, to voting, and to full participation in public life, as these are all hallmarks of our democracy.

“[Democracy] is absolutely critical to our future and the only way it survives is if we start paying attention to it,” said author Michael Lewis.

Political and voting rights leader Stacey Abrams offered up a fiery and inspiring speech that included a ten-step roadmap from authoritarianism to freedom and hope. She noted that while authoritarianism may thrive on confusion and on weakening trust, the science community is uniquely positioned to lead the way out of it.

“I believe the way we save our democracy is by understanding how science is the antidote to authoritarianism,” she said. The final step of her roadmap is one in which “we demand a nation that delivers for everyone; one that’s equitable and rooted in truth.”

Disability rights leaders Theo Braddy and Rhoda Gibson anchored the rally in the idea that democracy must include everyone. “'Nothing about us without us’ is more than just a disability slogan; it really is about democracy,” said Theo Braddy. His remarks were pointed and powerful: it is easy to say power belongs to the people, but harder to truly include all of the people in practice.

Martha McDevitt-Pugh of Vote From Abroad noted that more than 6 million voting-age Americans live overseas, and many are unsure how to vote or even that they can do so. She encouraged everyone to check in with one another on a plan to vote. “Each of us doing just one thing is exactly what upholds our democracy,” she said. “No one should be shut out by geography, paperwork or confusion.”

After the rally, Stand Up for Science offered breakout sessions for participants to turn their energy into action by volunteering for get out the vote phone banking shifts, and connecting Americans living abroad with direct help on voting abroad.

The speakers highlighted the following ways to carry the rally’s energy into sustained civic action:

• Volunteer for Get Out the Vote phone banks. Calls to voters in key districts can be made from home, with shifts available around the clock. Sign up for phone banking here.
• Vote early and tell everyone. Your example can start a wave; share your plan and your vote to inspire others.
• Help your friends and family vote, including Americans abroad. Help people make a voting plan, and direct overseas friends and family to votefromabroad.org.
• Hold your representatives accountable. At town halls and events, ask what they admire in government and what scientific work they will champion.
• Organize. Build coalitions with activists, voters, neighbors, and local organizations. Voting is part of the process, never the end goal.

“Leave this conversation organized,” Abrams told attendees. “Don’t be worried, be workers.”

The rally recording is available to view online here and includes closed captions for English, Spanish, French, French Canadian, and Italian.

Full speaker lineup:
• Michael Lewis, best-selling author of Moneyball, The Big Short and, most recently of Blockers;
• Stacey Abrams, best-selling author, entrepreneur, and political leader;
• Theo W. Braddy, veteran disability rights advocate and movement leader, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL);
• Melly the Science Geek, science communicator and influencer;
• Simon Rosenberg, political analyst, strategist, and writer, host of the Hopium Chronicles;
• Rhoda Gibson Malden, disability rights advocate and national organizer with American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today;
• U.S. Congressional Representative Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), lifelong public servant, advocate, and resident of Southern Arizona;
• Martha McDevitt-Pugh, Voting From Abroad; and
• Colette Delawalla, Founder and Executive Director of Stand Up for Science.

Delawalla is available for comment.

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Stand Up for Science is a grassroots, Washington, D.C. based, non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. Stand Up for Science was formed in February 2025 in response to actions affecting federal science agencies and funding of the American scientific ecosystem. On March 7th, Stand Up for Science mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world on its first National Day of Action. Federal scientists across multiple agencies (NIH, EPA, NASA, FEMA) have chosen Stand Up for Science as the platform to publish their open letters of concern. Stand Up for Science is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization [EIN: 33-4154429] and donations are not tax-deductible.

Char Bowling
Stand Up for Science
media@standupforscience.net