CHICAGO (CBS) — Thousands of people showed up for the Chicago Women’s March. A much smaller crowd than previous marches, but with just a few weeks left to the midterm elections, some say this march is more important. CBS 2’s Audrina Bigos was there and has the story. Saturday’s march was different from previous rallies. This time around it’s a march to the polls. The message was clearer than ever before: get out and vote. “I’ve been voting a long time and I’ve never felt that this was as important as it is now,” said marcher Lydiea Davis. This time around they’re not just talking about it, but doing it. Pink hat-wearing marchers were seen at two polling sites in downtown Chicago. First time voters led the march to the polls. Others were not new to this. “(This is) the most important election of my lifetime and probably the lifetime of basically everyone,” said voter Kate Schechter. The Women’s March is not new to Chicago. A quarter million women and supporters showed up in January of 2017 following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Then, 300,000 people came out for a second Women’s March back in January amid the #MeToo movement. What’s different this time around? “It feels more urgent,” said Lance Williams. “You can just feel it changing,” added Jessica Winfrey. Many said one thing energized them to come out Saturday. “The whole Brett Kavanaugh thing just drove me over the edge,” said Liz Flores. Winfrey added “I think people are just so motivated after the Kavanaugh situation.” But frustrations have been building long before that. “We are a government of the people and by the people,” said one marcher. “And by god the people are going to change this.”<doc-sep>Chicago (AFP) - Thousands of people made their disdain for President Donald Trump heard Saturday at a rally and march in Chicago aimed at galvanizing support for Democrats in the upcoming November midterm elections. A giant "Baby Trump" flew over the crowd. Trump was depicted as "El Diablo" on a high-flying flag. Demonstrators waved "Vote Blue" banners -- the message was unmistakable. Angered by the bitter fight over new US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and what they called the "anti-woman agenda" of the Trump administration and the Republican Party, women -- and men -- descended on the Windy City's picturesque Grant Park. The "March to the Polls" event -- which began in the downtown park and wrapped up after a two-blocks-long crowd marched to the center of the business district -- came just as voter registration deadlines neared in most states and early voting ramped up in more than a dozen states including Illinois. Hillary Clinton appeared in a video message played on a giant screen, encouraging people to register to vote. "Imagine being able to hold this administration accountable," Clinton said, echoing the general sentiment that the election is a barometer of Trump's popularity. - Rally the millennials - Saturday's demonstration included a street festival-like "Voter Village" where dozens of community groups and politicians set up booths to reach new voters and encourage political involvement. "We wanted to lead into the midterms and encourage women to get out and vote," Jessica Scheller, head of Women's March Chicago, which organized the event, told AFP. The loud crowd of thousands of men, women and even children, marched through downtown Chicago chanting "Vote them out!" Some were encouraged to head to early voting locations nearby to cast ballots. Iyahna Wilson, a 19-year-old volunteer who assisted in the march, voted for the first time -- motivated by racial justice issues and gender rights. Story continues "I never really thought that my vote was going to make a change," Wilson told AFP moments after she exited a downtown polling location, raising her hands up in celebration. It is that mindset that organizers were fighting to change with an event they specifically aimed to take place in the runup to the midterm election. "I would like women to take charge of the midterms," protester Sarah Sieracki told AFP. The 23-year-old from the nearby Republican-dominated state of Indiana was the type of voter organizers were hoping to encourage to get involved. She was carrying a "Grab 'em by the midterms" sign -- a play on an infamous remark made by Trump. "Women need to vote. They need to get out," said Sieracki. "We need to rally the young millennials and the people coming up, turning 18 (years old)." - 'Women are angry' - The Chicago rally symbolized the political rancor generated by the partisan fight over Kavanaugh's confirmation despite sexual assault allegations and powerful testimony against him by his accuser Christine Blasey Ford. All but one Senate Republican voted to confirm Kavanaugh to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. All but one Democrat voted against. Anti-Trump marches were scheduled later this month in other states, including the Republican strongholds of Texas, Georgia and South Carolina. "It is infuriating to women to watch that display that we watched in that Senate committee hearing, and to see that that man was still confirmed," Scheller said. "Women are angry. And we're starting to feel comfortable being angry." Republicans currently hold the White House and both chambers of Congress, but many in the party fear anti-Trump voters will overwhelm the president's supporters in the elections, pushing the House -- at least -- over to the Democrats. Most states allow early voting by mail-in ballot or at a limited number of polling stations, giving those unable to show up on Election Day a chance to vote. Chicago organizers insisted their event did not favor any one party, even though funding came largely from trade unions and Democrat-aligned groups. Previous women's protests have included plenty of anti-Trump rhetoric. Protests in January shut down streets in dozens of American cities. In Chicago, hundreds of thousands marched.<doc-sep>'Whoever Is Watching This, They're Going To Get A Thrill': Willy T. Ribbs, Paul Tracy, Ernie Francis Jr. Discuss Superstar Racing ExperienceThe Superstar Racing Experience inaugural season begins on June 12 at Stafford Speedway. 'Rugrats' Voice Actors E.G. 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The 74th Annual 'Tony Awards' And 'The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back!' Come To CBS September 26thCBS and Tony Award Productions will celebrate Broadway’s highly anticipated return to live theatre with a multiplatform event The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back! Sunday, September 26th (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) broadcasting on CBS and available to stream live and on demand with Paramount+ or the CBS app.<doc-sep>March to the Polls rally in Chicago draws thousands Women gather for a rally and march at Grant Park on Oct. 13, 2018 in Chicago, Ill., to inspire voter turnout ahead of midterm polls in the United States. (Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images) Thousands of people have marched through downtown Chicago to express their displeasure at President Donald Trump and encourage voters to go to the polls for next month’s midterm election. The march took place Saturday after a rally in Grant Park organized by Women’s March Chicago. The group dubbed the event March to the Polls. A sea of people took to the streets, chanting “Let’s go vote!” as they walked from Grant Park to Federal Plaza. Some voters cast ballots at nearby early voting sites. Chicago is a Democratic stronghold. Organizers say enthusiasm is high, particularly since the confirmation of Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault but he denies the allegations. (AP) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.<doc-sep>
March to the Polls draws thousands to Chicago Thousands marched through the streets of Chicago for the March to the Polls Saturday. Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times Chicago resident Alex Almanza, 18, listens during a rally ahead of the Women's March to the Polls on Saturday. Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times Thousands marched through the streets of Chicago Saturday for the March to the Polls. Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times Chicago resident Alex Almanza, 18, listens during a rally ahead of the Women's March to the Polls on Saturday. Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times A participant in Saturday's March to the Polls listens to a speaker at a rally in Grant Park. Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Sun-Times Thousands gathered in Chicago Saturday for the "March to the Polls," with organizers pushing for participants to help get out the vote ahead of the Nov. 6 election. Speakers at a Grant Park rally before the midday march addressed the importance of voting, income inequality, gun violence, women's rights and education affordability. A student from Marjorie Stoneman-Douglas High School in Florida, the site of a deadly mass shooting in February, also spoke. Arlington Heights resident Ayah Jaber, 19, said she marched -- and voted -- because "the only way to create change is to rally and vote." "I think it's true (that younger people don't vote) and I try to advocate for voting and getting my friends to vote," Jaber said. "It's important to show what you believe in by getting involved in grass-roots organizations. They have a big impact." Nonprofit, and not specifically endorsing candidates, organizer Women's March Chicago has major donors including the Chicago Federation of Labor and Democratic governor candidate J.B. Pritzker's campaign. "We're here to bring change for future generations," Pilsen resident Frances Valez said. With Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation, "The government just showed -- again -- that it sees women as 'less than.' We can't take that." Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were beamed into the rally via prerecorded messages. In the "voter village," people signed up to canvass for politicians running for office and grabbed $10 balloon caricatures of President Donald Trump depicted as a baby in a diaper, modeled after a giant float that was anchored in Grant Park. Funds went toward the costs of the march. It was the third Women's March in Chicago. Roughly 250,000 marched through the city shortly after President Donald Trump's inauguration and an estimated 300,000 participants joined the second annual march in January. •This report was produced in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times. For related coverage, check chicago.suntimes.com.