Less than two weeks after launching at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the national tour brings its voter registration, education, protection and turnout effort to one of Texas’ signature HBCU gatherings
James Talarico, Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III and special guests to join Registration Nation Action Fund and national partners as tour works to mobilize Black, Brown and young voters across the South and key states through Election Day
Dallas, TX – On Saturday, September 26, the March On for Freedom 2026 National GOTV Bus Tour will make a major Texas stop at the 31st Annual State Fair Klassic Tailgate in Dallas, bringing the national call to action on voting rights and democracy launched earlier this month in Washington directly into one of Texas’ largest HBCU communities.
The bus will arrive at the DAC Kappa House at approximately 2:30 PM, where organizers will spend the afternoon registering and engaging voters and providing information about voter registration, early voting, voter protection and Election Day participation. James Talarico is expected to join the activation at approximately 5:30 PM, alongside Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III and other special guests, community leaders and organizers.
The Dallas stop comes less than two weeks after Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Bishop William J. Barber II, Andrea Pringle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates and movement leaders gathered at the National Museum of African American History and Culture on National Voter Registration Day to launch the tour and issue a national call to action around Black history, voting rights and democratic participation. Registration Nation Action Fund
At that gathering, leaders called on a new generation to turn remembrance into action and protect rights generations fought to secure. The March On for Freedom bus then left Washington to carry that call directly into communities across the South.
Since its launch, the tour has traveled through communities across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama before arriving in Texas, engaging voters at HBCUs, churches, community spaces and cultural gatherings. The Texas swing continues that strategy of meeting voters where they already are and turning major community moments into opportunities for sustained civic participation.
Saturday’s activation brings that work to the State Fair Klassic, centered around the historic Prairie View A&M University and Grambling State University football rivalry. The official Klassic schedule includes Saturday’s game at the Cotton Bowl and Rev. Dr. Haynes delivering the opening prayer.
The setting is central to the purpose of the tour. Rather than waiting for Black and young voters to walk into traditional political spaces, March On for Freedom is bringing voter engagement directly to the campuses, churches, neighborhoods and cultural institutions where communities already gather.
The Texas swing comes at an important point in the voter registration calendar. Texans have until October 5 to register for the November 3 election, with early voting beginning October 19. Texas Secretary of State Recent research also found that just 29 percent of eligible 18-year-olds in Texas are registered to vote, compared with 42 percent nationally, underscoring the opportunity for sustained youth voter registration and education. San Antonio Express-News
The tour is focused particularly on Black, Brown and young voters, combining registration with voter education, protection resources and turnout organizing. The goal is not simply to register voters, but to make sure people understand their rights, have accurate information about how and when to vote, and ultimately turn registration into participation.
The effort is being led by Registration Nation Action Fund alongside national partners including March On PAC, Future Dems PAC, SEIU, Rainbow PUSH, We Are Somebody and additional national and local organizations.
The Dallas activation is one stop in a national effort that will continue moving through communities and key states through Election Day, carrying forward the message first delivered outside the African American Museum in Washington: protecting the history and rights generations fought to secure requires a new generation to participate, organize and vote.
WHAT:
March On for Freedom 2026 National GOTV Bus Tour: State Fair Klassic Dallas Stop
A special Texas activation bringing the national voter registration, voter education, voter protection and turnout tour to State Fair Klassic weekend to engage HBCU students, alumni, families and the broader Dallas community.
WHEN:
WHERE
DAC Kappa House; 2515 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; Dallas, TX
WHO
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
Media are invited to cover the bus activation, voter registration and engagement activities and interview organizers, community members and special guests.
The bus will be active beginning around 2:30 PM, with opportunities throughout the afternoon to capture voter engagement and the State Fair Klassic atmosphere. James Talarico is expected around 5:30 PM.
Media RSVP / on-site coordination:
angelo@praxismulticultural.com
Registration Nation Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization focused on expanding voter registration and building ongoing civic dialogue with young people and communities of color. Through grassroots efforts and strategic partnerships, we work to engage those who have been historically excluded from the democratic process.