Stand Up for Science rally pushes voter turnout and access

Stand Up for Science used a virtual No Kings Day rally to mobilize voters 17 days before Election Day, pairing speeches from Stacey Abrams, Michael Lewis and disability rights leaders with calls to expand access to voting, science and civic participation. The event also offered breakout sessions to turn attendee energy into phone banking and overseas voting help.

Why it matters: - The rally tied voting rights, disability access and support for science to a single message: democracy works only when more people can participate. - The event was designed to reach people left out by geography or ability, making access itself part of the civic action message. - Organizers pushed attendees to move from inspiration to turnout work with Election Day close ahead.

What happened: - Stand Up for Science hosted a Virtual & Accessible No Kings Day Rally on Saturday. - The get-out-the-vote event came 17 days before Election Day. - Speakers came from activist, scientific, disability, international and voting rights communities. - Stacey Abrams told attendees to “get good done.” - Michael Lewis said democracy is “absolutely critical to our future” and warned that it survives only if people pay attention to it. - The rally recording is available online with closed captions in English, Spanish, French, French Canadian and Italian.

The details: - Abrams delivered a 10-step roadmap from authoritarianism to freedom and hope. - Abrams said science is the antidote to authoritarianism. - Abrams said the final step is demanding “a nation that delivers for everyone; one that’s equitable and rooted in truth.” - Theo Braddy said “Nothing about us without us” is more than a disability slogan and is really about democracy. - Rhoda Gibson Malden joined the rally from the disability rights community. - Martha McDevitt-Pugh said more than 6 million voting-age Americans live overseas. - McDevitt-Pugh urged people to help others make a voting plan and said no one should be shut out by geography, paperwork or confusion. - Stand Up for Science held breakout sessions after the rally to connect participants with phone banking and help for Americans living abroad. - The organization pointed attendees to votefromabroad.org for overseas voting help. - The rally featured calls to volunteer for get-out-the-vote phone banks, vote early, help friends and family vote, hold representatives accountable and organize local coalitions. - Abrams told attendees, “Leave this conversation organized. Don’t be worried, be workers.”

Between the lines: - The lineup blended national political figures with scientists, disability advocates and organizers, signaling that Stand Up for Science is treating voting access as part of a broader democracy-and-science fight. - The focus on accessibility and overseas voters suggests organizers are trying to reach people who often face barriers that are logistical rather than ideological. - The event framed science not just as a policy issue, but as a civic tool in a broader push against authoritarian politics.

What’s next: - Stand Up for Science is encouraging attendees to sign up for phone banking shifts that can be done from home around the clock. - The organization is asking participants to vote early, share their voting plans and help others do the same. - Organizers want supporters to bring questions to town halls and public events and press elected officials on science and accountability. - Delawalla is available for comment.

The bottom line: - Stand Up for Science turned a rally into a turnout operation, with accessibility, science advocacy and voting rights all folded into the same push for civic action.