Buses leave from Harlem to Washington, D.C. for 'Defend the Vote' rally

POLITICS Buses leave from Harlem to Washington, D.C. for 'Defend the Vote' rally By Eyewitness News Friday, August 28, 2026 2:30PM Crystal Cranmore reports from Harlem. HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- More than 100 people boarded buses in Harlem early Friday morning as demonstrators from New York and New Jersey headed to Washington, D.C., for a voting rights rally.

Up to nine buses began boarding at the National Action Network in Harlem around 3 a.m., with some buses still preparing to leave later Friday morning.

Organizers say more than 50 buses from New York and New Jersey are bringing people to the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington - Defend the Vote rally.

The Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III are among the leaders expected to attend.

The rally comes amid an ongoing legal battle over the Trump administration's efforts involving the U.S. Postal Service and mail-in voting.

A federal judge ruled against the administration's plan Thursday night, though the administration is expected to appeal the decision.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a block on President Donald Trump's executive order involving mail-in voting.

The legal fight comes about a week before the first mail-in ballots are expected to be sent to voters ahead of the midterm elections.

Local activists responding to Thursday night's federal court decision said it is the Postal Service's job to deliver ballots, not determine the rules governing elections.

Marchers leaving Harlem early Friday also shared their messages for Washington ahead of the demonstration.

The rally at the Lincoln Memorial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.