Prayer breakfasts, marches, parades, and an uptick in volunteer efforts to support the annual Day of Service have remained staples of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

But the late civil rights icon family has asked that observers strike a different tune in 2022.

King's family has requested no celebration unless federal lawmakers pass voting rights legislation, a task that appears out of reach as President Joe Biden and several Democrats have faced stiff Republican opposition.

Democrats have also been hampered by members of their own party, notably West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, whose vote is cr...