March On For Voting Rights In Phoenix: Time, Location, More

PHOENIX, AZ — Hundreds of people are expected to join in the protest in Phoenix on Saturday to demand Congress do more to protect voting rights in the United States. While the local protest is set to be indoors due to a forecasted high of 108 degrees, outdoor marches are expected to draw thousands in other parts of the state and across the country.

March On For Voting Rights events will be held Aug. 28, the anniversary of the day more than 50 years ago when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.

This year, however, thousands of activists are expected to protest restrictive voting laws passed in several Republican-led states. Billed as a nonviolent, nonpartisan demonstration, marches are planned in flagship cities including Phoenix, Washington, Atlanta and Miami. Marches organized by other groups or individuals will be held in several other cities.

In Phoenix, an indoor event is planned at 9 a.m. at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, 1401 E. Jefferson St. The Phoenix event is limited to 600 attendees due to COVID-19 safety protocols at the church.

A march in Flagstaff is set to kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Mercado de los Suenos, 2532 E. 7th Ave. The Pinal County march is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Eloy City Hall, 595 C St.

See a full map of march locations online.

Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is among the organizers of the March On for Washington and Voting Rights.

"We know that when people engage, we create nonviolent street heat, action occurs,” King told NPR.

Since January, 48 U.S. states have introduced 389 bills that seek to reduce access to the ballot box. Several states have passed laws that ban ballot drop boxes and mail-in voting, reduce early voting days and hours, restrict who can get a mail-in ballot, prohibit officials from promoting the use of mail-in ballots and even criminalize the distribution of water to voters waiting in line to vote.

Meanwhile, Congress this year has failed to move forward a bill that would enact a sweeping overhaul of elections. Dubbed the For The People Act, the broad bill would, among other things, create a national automatic system for registering voters and establish national standards for mail-in and absentee ballots, The Washington Post reported.

If signed into law, the For The People Act would neutralize many of the restrictions passed in states. The bill would also likely prevent them from getting approved again.

"It also makes it tragic that we're at a place where, as my mom used to say, every generation has to re-earn or earn its freedom. Because theoretically, we should be beyond voting rights," King told NPR. "We should be addressing other issues."

The House of Representatives did make headway this week when it passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a separate piece of legislation named for the late Georgia congressman who spent his life advocating for equal rights for Black Americans.

Under the proposed legislation, the Justice Department would again enforce new changes to voting laws in states that have racked up a series of “violations,” drawing them into a mandatory review process known as “preclearance,” according to The Associated Press.

The practice was originally put in place under the Voting Rights Act of 1965; however, it was struck down in 2013 by a conservative majority on the Supreme Court.