DC Voting Rights
Most Americans assume that all U.S. citizens have a right to vote and a right to representation (two Senators and a Representative). However, this is not the case for the approximately 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia. Although these citizens live in our nation’s capital, pay federal taxes and serve in the armed forces, they do not have representation in their federal legislature. District residents have no representation in the Senate and a non-voting Delegate in the House. As a result, DC residents are relegated to second-class citizenship. They are unable to bring grievances to influential Federal officials or reap the benefits Senators and Representatives are able to provide to their constituents.

While DC residents did have representation in the early 1790’s, DC residents lost their right to vote in 1801 after the passage of the Organic Act, when Congress voted to take control of the District of Columbia. This occurred just ten years after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution and a mere 26 years after the famous declaration by Sam Adams--“No Taxation Without Representation”-- a version on the motto remains on DC license plates today.

FairVote firmly stands behind the right of every U.S. citizen to have a meaningful vote. DC residents are no different than all other Americans and should not be treated as such. If Congress can take away voting rights of citizens, then surely it can replace them. Every DC resident should be able to elect a voting member of the House of Representatives and two U.S. Senators.

[ Learn more about the DC VRA ]

[ The District of Columbia and Presidential Nominations ]

[ For more information on the DC voting rights movement, visit DC Vote ]


 

House Action Slated on Voting Rights for District of Columbia, Additional Utah Seat


By Michael Teitelbaum
Published March 7th 2007 in CQ Politics

A potentially controversial bill that would give full voting rights to a District of Columbia representative would be on the House floor by the end of March.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., released a statement Wednesday on bringing the bill (HR 328) to the floor and noted, “The people of the District have waited too long to have a voice in the House.”

The current bill would permanently increase the House membership to 437 and give a fourth, specifically drawn seat to Utah. But that bill is expected to be changed to make the additional Utah seat at-large.

Aides familiar with the discussions noted that the likely change would be based on the fact that the current three Utah members have just had elections and would not want to run again in newly redrawn districts if the bill were to become law.

“We in the District embrace this milestone in the journey of our citizens for two centuries to obtain the most basic of American citizenship rights — the cherished right to be represented in the People’s House,” said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.

She said both committees with jurisdiction — Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform — would take up the bill next week.

Ilir Zherka, executive director of the voting rights advocacy organization DC Vote , noted that another possible change refers to the elimination of the delegate and statehood representative positions.

Conservatives, such as Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C., say the bill is unconstitutional. “The Constitution clearly provides how congressmen and senators are allocated to states,” he said. “The federal city is not a state.”

They also cite a recent Congressional Research Service report noting that “it would appear likely that Congress does not have the authority to grant voting representation in the House to the [District] Delegate” under the current legislation.

But Zherka said, “Ultimately, the courts will decide the issue.”