WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of protesters rallied on the National Mall on Friday in support of voting rights and racial justice ahead of the midterm elections, following changes to voting laws and redistricting that civil rights groups have criticized as harmful to Black Americans.
The 2026 "Defend the Vote" March on Washington, organized by Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, commemorates the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 march. The event follows the U.S. Supreme Court's April decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which reinterpreted key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, allowing Southern states to redraw congressional maps that may diminish equal representation in Black communities.
Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, stated in an interview with The Associated Press, "We've been doing these marches for years, but this is probably the most important because this is the first year we are marching that the voting rights bill has been nullified by the Supreme Court."
This year's march, co-hosted by Sharpton's group and King's Drum Major Institute, features speakers including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
The event recalls King Jr.'s historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, which gathered over 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial during a time of significant social and political unrest.
King III remarked that the work of the Civil Rights movement is "further eroding" following the Supreme Court's April ruling, expressing that his father would be disappointed with the current state of the country but encouraging civil rights advocates to remain steadfast.
Ray Turner, a 65-year-old retiree from Maryland, attended the march carrying a sign that read "(Puny) Hands off our elections." He expressed concern over the Trump administration's actions regarding voting rights, stating, "The lies about the 2020 election being stolen continue to be sounded, even though they've been disproved."
Bill Gruen, a 75-year-old former U.S. history teacher, attended the march in an Uncle Sam costume he created for class debates. He emphasized the importance of focusing on voting rights and critiqued the Trump administration's actions.
Sharpton highlighted that the Trump administration's immigration policies and cuts to social programs are unifying issues for the diverse attendees of this year's march. He noted that redistricting efforts by Republican-led states threaten to reduce the number of Black lawmakers in Congress.
Rep. Cleo Fields, D-La., stated, "This march is about people who refuse to be counted out," referencing the impact of recent redistricting on Black communities. Fields was central to the Supreme Court decision that affected the Voting Rights Act, which ruled that his district was unconstitutional due to its reliance on race.
Fields has decided not to seek reelection to Congress and is pursuing a seat in the state Senate. Rep. Shomari Figures, an Alabama Democrat, noted that the original voting rights struggle required local movements and national figures, viewing this year's march as a continuation of that legacy.
Ahead of the march, organizations filed new claims in their federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting. The Supreme Court recently cleared a path for possible implementation of the order, though the timeline for its effect before the midterms remains uncertain.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed optimism that Democrats could still secure a majority in the U.S. House despite redistricting challenges, stating, "We only have to flip about five or six seats, and that's really what we're going to do. It is a call to action."