Far left, Shepherdstown resident and Rally for Democracy organizer Mark Kohut stands with a group of concerned citizens in front of The Wall on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Friday afternoon, a group of concerned local citizens gathered together at The Wall in front of McMurran Hall, to participate in a Rally for Democracy.

Organized by Shepherdstown resident Mark Kohut, the bipartisan Rally for Democracy was created to inform undecided voters and sign up people to vote, with the help of the another bipartisan group, the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County.

“I and a whole lot of people think that this election is an existential one. If the wrong person is elected, democracy will end,” Kohut said. “I want the awareness and the number of people who are concerned about democracy, as the months go on, to spread.”

According to Kohut, he began planning the rally after a discussion among the Cafe Society earlier this year.

“We were talking about the election. Some people are very concerned over the direction of the polls,” Kohut said. “Beverly Fairchild wrote in the chat that, ‘What we need is a national movement to support democracy all over.’ I jumped in, ‘That’s a terrific idea! I didn’t think of it, but I’m going to act on it.’ And so, I did.

Shepherdstown resident Jan Hafer waves an American flag at the Rally for Democracy at The Wall on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

“This is the first of many,” Kohut said. “I’m going to try to do one, maybe every month between now and the election. It should build, as we get closer to the General Election.”

With some more time to plan it, the next Rally for Democracy will likely be connected on a national level, according to Kohut.

“I’m going to do what I can to connect with other such movements. Mary Trump — Donald Trump’s niece who wrote about him and has a Ph.D. in psychology — she’s trying to have some of her people organize some of these rallies. I’ve written her, and was told, ‘Stay tuned. I’ll let you know.’ Plus, the Indivisible Group is getting together these rallies. And Beto O’Rourke, when he was visiting Shepherdstown, congratulated me for this. He said that he knows there are others happening across the country,” Kohut said. “By the next one, I’ll be in touch with these other ones and we can have a link of democracy rallies around us and around the nation. That’s why I started it. That’s why I did it here.”

Regardless of his personal political beliefs, Kohut held firm to the belief that this series of rallies should remain bipartisan.

“I didn’t want it to be labeled as an anti-Trump rally, but a rally for democracy. That’s the main reason,” Kohut said.

Community members join the first Rally for Democracy at The Wall on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

For Shepherdstown resident John Doyle, who is currently running as a Democrat to represent District 16 in the West Virginia State Senate, the rally’s bipartisan nature was a major reason behind why he participated on Friday.

“I’m here to get people out to vote, period,” Doyle said. “I think this is a two-fer for me! I do think the more we get people out to vote, the better the Democrats do, generally. But, even if that weren’t the case, I would still want people to vote!”