DC Vote Launches Postcard Campaign For D.C. Voting Rights

February 11, 2009 - Posted by The Leadership Conference

People at a DC voting rights march outside the Wilson Building in Washington, D.C.

DC voting rights march outside the Wilson Building, home of the mayor and D.C. council, April 16, 2007. Photo credit: IntangibleArts

DC Vote recently launched a postcard campaign in support of the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 (DC VRA), a bill that will give residents of Washington, D.C., a voting member in Congress.

Supporters of D.C. voting rights can fill out a form on the DC Vote website to send an electronic postcard directly to President Obama or they can print the postcard and send it by regular mail, urging him to support the DC VRA. Obama supported a similar bill last year when he was a senator.

Though district residents pay federal income tax and serve in the military, Washington, D.C., is the world's only national capital of a democracy whose residents do not have voting representation in the nation's legislative body. The district currently has a non-voting member in Congress.

The bill was passed by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee this morning, and supporters are hoping the full Senate will act swiftly to pass the bill.