Vigil for Democracy participants stand together in front of The Wall at McMurran Hall on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Over 50 demonstrators gathered together to participate in a Vigil for Democracy in front of The Wall at McMurran Hall on Friday afternoon.

The group held signs illuminating their concerns over the federal government’s recent actions, bearing messages such as “Save our jobs” and “Stand up for military veterans.”

“We’re protesting for democracy! People must get out there and vote, so that the minority doesn’t win,” said Carline Shaw, of Shepherdstown, noting the low voter turnout in the last election. “Unfortunately, the voting numbers are going down in West Virginia. The number of registered voters is really low — it’s about 20 percent of those who could vote.”

Shaw serves as the secretary for the League of Women Voters of West Virginia and the second vice president for the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County. She has spent much of her time in those positions working toward increasing voter registrations in the state.

Organizer Mark Kohut, wearing a Burger King crown, could be seen standing beside another demonstrator holding the sign, “No kings.” The vigil, Kohut said, was the first official one held this year, although a few spontaneous ones had taken place over the past two months.

League of Women Voters of West Virginia secretary Carline Shaw encourages passersby to register to vote, during the Vigil for Democracy on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

“I will keep on asking the Town Council to do one of these every month, until we have a regime change, one way or another,” Kohut said, mentioning a Harvard University research team found that the number of protests had increased by 180 percent, from Pres. Donald Trump’s first term to his second. “You may remember the big Women’s March on Washington, after Trump was first elected. There’s been none that big so far, but there’s been almost twice as many of them, since he’s been elected a second time — and it’s still growing!”

A second Vigil for Democracy is being planned for April, according to Kohut. Other spontaneous ones will likely take place at The Wall on Fridays, beginning at noon.

“I’ve been here at the front, for every spontaneous and official Vigil for Democracy,” said Shepherdstown resident Colin Voigt. “You have to stand up, at some time!”

He said his faithful participation was driven by the feeling of helplessness that had overwhelmed him, after his attempts to express his concerns to his representatives in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were ignored.

“It’s a way to feel like I’m doing something,” Voigt said, mentioning his concerns have been informed by his experience working for the Bureau of Land Management. “We don’t have any say-so in what’s happening today, because our representatives in the Congress and Senate are people who apparently don’t believe in democracy and are letting anything pass, without saying anything at all. They’re undermining the government.”

Demonstrators chat with each other, during the Vigil for Democracy at The Wall on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

Shepherdstown residents Michael Chalmers, left, and Nancy Stewart participate in the Vigil for Democracy in front of The Wall on Friday. Tabitha Johnston