WASHINGTON — The commemorative March on Washington held Friday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 voting rights and jobs speech carried an added sense of urgency from Democratic lawmakers and activists ahead of the midterm elections.The march, held in the nation’s capital beginning on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, came in the wake of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court’s rollback of the Voting Rights Act, which gave way to a state-by-state frenzy to redistrict in the middle of the election cycle. Meanwhile, congressional Republicans have used President Donald Trump’s SAVE America voter ID and proof-of-citizenship bill to unite their base.The event drew a diverse crowd of a few thousand people, who heard a rally cry from civil rights leaders and Democrats: Voters, particularly those who are black, need to get out and vote in the November elections.
“The fact that we still have to fight to maintain and renew voting rights in this country is beyond abysmal, and a truly national disgrace,” said Martin Luther King III, the son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) assailed the Trump administration’s efforts to limit vote-by-mail, conduct voter data-gathering, and accuse blue states of harboring mass numbers of noncitizens on its voter rolls. Sanders also chided Trump and recent Supreme Court rulings as “the most significant assault on voting rights since segregation, targeting virtually every aspect of the electoral system.”Democrats are hoping this year to avoid a repeat of the last midterm cycle, where the party faced a declining turnout from black voters, who make up the backbone of the party. In 2022, black voter turnout dropped by about 10 percentage points compared to the 2018 midterm elections, from just under 52% in 2018 to 42% in 2022. If Democrats are to retake control of the House and potentially the Senate, where Republicans have stronger control, they’ll need the voting bloc that votes in lockstep with the party more than 90% of the time to show out en masse to the polls.“Vote GOP Out” and “Be brave and vote” are among signs seen as demonstrators walk near the Lincoln Memorial as they hold signs after the March on Washington, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
