Thousands march across US to demand voting rights protection

Marches come amid state-level push to curb voting access that rights groups say disproportionately affects people of colour.

Thousands of people are demonstrating in the United States capital and in several cities across the country to demand voting rights protection amid a barrage of state-level legislation that would impose ballot restrictions. Held on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s historic 1963 March on Washington, organisers of the “March On For Washington And Voting Rights” say the efforts to curb voting access disproportionately affect people of colour. In Washington, DC protesters holding “Black Lives Matter” flags and signs calling for federal legislation marched from McPherson Square towards the final meeting point at the National Mall, where King gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech 58 years ago.