From Allen Pincus
Barneveld
To the Editor:
Much of the media coverage of the recent NO KINGS rallies in Wisconsin overlooked the significance of the large crowds the rallies drew in small rural communities across the state. And yes, the rural rallies were large! If you measure turnout only by crowd size, the rural rallies of a few hundred people might seem small. However, if you measure turnout by the percent of the adult population (18 years and older) in an area who attended a No Kings rally from that area, then the turnout in rural small communities was actually similar to the turnout in large urban centers. For example, the Madison rally attracted 15,000 protesters, but it drew from the adult population of 434,610 in Dane County ( a turnout rate of 3.45%). The rally in Dodgeville, which attracted 550 protesters from around Iowa County (a turnout rate of 2.95%) suddenly looks pretty large when you consider that the total adult population of Iowa County is only 18,363.
So what is significant about the rural turnout? While rural areas have been a stronghold for the Republican party, not all rural voters are MAGA. Protests like the NO KINGS rally have rarely if ever been seen in rural communities. However, the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration have made rural voters across the political spectrum more aware of the values they share in common and more ready to act to protect those values. People who never before attended a political rally overcame their discomfort to join friends, neighbors and other community members in common cause.
The rural rallies also demonstrated the effectiveness of the growing organizational infrastructure in rural communities being built to oppose the Trump administration and help those hurt by it. Organizing a rally like the one in Dodgeville requires a lot of work and knowhow: obtaining permits, meeting with county and city police departments, coordination with different community groups, arranging for speakers and public address systems, publicity, and much more. And all of it done by volunteers who had to learn as they went.
To our urban counterparts and the urban media: we are here, we are strong, and we vote. Our voices will be heard.
