Marchers across US call on Congress to bolster voting rights

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The Rev. Al Sharpton, 3rd from close successful front, holds a banner with Martin Luther King, III, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, 2nd from right, and Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, right, among others, during the march to telephone for sweeping protections against a further erosion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON – Thousands of voting rights advocates rallied crossed the state Saturday to telephone for sweeping national laws that would hitch retired voting restrictions advancing successful immoderate Republican-controlled states that could marque it harder to formed a ballot.

Many activists presumption the combat implicit voting rules arsenic the civilian rights contented of the era. But frustrations person mounted for months due to the fact that 2 expansive predetermination bills person stalled successful the U.S. Senate, which is divided evenly betwixt Democrats and Republicans and the measures deficiency the votes to flooded a GOP blockade.

The rallies, which were held successful dozens of cities, were intended to summation unit connected Democrats to rewrite procedural rules that would let Democrats to musculus the authorities done without Republican votes. But they were besides aimed astatine coaxing President Joe Biden to go a much forceful advocator connected the issue.

“You said the nighttime you won that Black America had your back, and that you were going to person Black Americans’ backs,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped signifier the nationalist demonstrations, said astatine a rally successful Washington. “Well, Mr. President, they’re stabbing america successful the back.”

More than a 1000 radical turned retired successful sweltering vigor connected the National Mall connected Saturday, the 58th day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech.

His lad Martin Luther King III utilized the juncture to telephone connected the Senate to scrap the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes for astir legislation, including the voting bills, to advance.

“Our state is backsliding to the unconscionable days of Jim Crow. And immoderate of our senators are saying, ‘Well, we can’t flooded the filibuster,'” King told the crowd. “I accidental to you today: Get escaped of the filibuster. That is simply a monument to achromatic supremacy we indispensable teardrop down."

At 1 point, astir a twelve authorities lawmakers from Texas who had sought to artifact changes to their state's elections laws, strolled onto the signifier astatine the National Mall and were hailed arsenic patriots.

“Texas is the worst authorities to ballot in, successful the full nation,” said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Houston.

Even arsenic rally participants pushed for stronger protections, Republican lawmakers successful Texas were connected the brink of passing an overhaul of its voting laws, including restrictions connected voting by mail, limits connected erstwhile voters tin formed ballots and different measures that Republicans accidental would amended the integrity of its elections.

Texas would beryllium the latest authorities to walk caller laws, pursuing moves successful different Republican-controlled states similar Arizona, Florida and Georgia to enactment successful spot akin restrictions — efforts driven by erstwhile President Donald Trump’s mendacious claims that the 2020 predetermination was stolen.

Congressional Democrats person responded to the Republican efforts to marque it harder to ballot by approving authorities earlier this week that would reconstruct sections of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure would necessitate the Justice Department to erstwhile again constabulary changes to voting laws successful states with a past of restricting the vote, a signifier that was enactment connected clasp by the Supreme Court successful 2013.

But unless Democrats marque changes to the Senate procedural rules, transition of the bill, arsenic good arsenic a abstracted measurement that would found nationalist predetermination standards, remains unlikely.

In a video posted connected Twitter earlier successful the day, Vice President Kamala Harris urged Congress to walk authorities that she said was needed to propulsion backmost against Republicans successful Texas, Florida and different states.

“The state is changing. The demographics are changing. And (Republicans) deliberation that if they don’t get up of it and suppress the vote, they ain’t gonna person a accidental successful it,” said Ken Jones, 72, of Atlanta, who traveled to Washington with his wife, Paula, to be the rally.

Angela Hill, 61, who lives successful the Washington area, attended the rally with her girl due to the fact that she is "alarmed" by Republican efforts to marque it harder to vote. In spite of Trump's mendacious claims of a stolen victory, Republican and Democratic predetermination officials crossed the state certified the result and Trump’s ain lawyer wide said helium saw nary grounds of wide elector fraud.

“Why was it indispensable for Republican states to effort and marque it much hard to vote? Things went good successful this election,” Hill said.

Marches were besides scheduled for Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix and different cities nether the banner of “March On for Voting Rights,” organized by Sharpton and King. Because of concerns implicit the fast-spreading delta variant of COVID-19, a march successful Houston did not spell connected arsenic planned.

A girl of the precocious civilian rights leader, Bernice King, led the march successful Atlanta. In an interrogation with The Associated Press, she called for “new levels of civilian disobedience” to propulsion against voting restrictions.

“We're going to person to disrupt immoderate things. We've got to disturb this state to the constituent that radical who are inactive uninvolved and connected the periphery to get progressive successful immoderate fashion,” she said.

In Phoenix, the Rev. Terry Mackey, the pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, urged those attending an indoor rally to grant those who fought and shed humor for voting rights.

“I privation you to basal up and fight," helium said, "until each idiosyncratic successful this authorities has the aforesaid voting rights arsenic anybody else.”

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Calvan reported from New York. Associated Press writers Alex Sanz successful Atlanta and Paul Davenport successful Phoenix contributed to this report.

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