House Passes DC Voting Rights Bill
Feature Story by Tyler Lewis - 4/20/2007
The U.S. House of Representatives passed (241-177) the D.C. Voting Rights Act (H.R. 1905) on April 19.
"Today's bipartisan House passage of a bill to give voting representation to D.C. residents is long over due," said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR). "This country continues to refine and align itself with our founders democratic principles and we believe today's action in the House is another positive step in that direction."
HR 1905, a bipartisan bill drafted by Rep. Thomas M. Davis, R. Va., and Delegate Eleanor Norton, D. D.C., would raise House membership to 437 members by giving the District of Columbia one seat and a temporary at-large seat to Utah.
"The small, daily contributions of this city's citizens should not be overlooked. District residents truly serve this nation every day performing thousands of federal jobs. But when this House votes on the shape, size and cost of that government, they are invisible, unseen and unheard in debates that affect their lives more directly than most," said Rep. Davis, in his floor speech.
Opponents of the bill said that Congress doesn't have the authority to grant representation to the citizens of the District. Rep. Lamar Smith, R. Texas, told The Associated Press that "Judges and legal experts agree that since D.C. is not a state, it cannot elect members of Congress."
Momentum for the bill picked up this year when newly-elected D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty joined the broad coalition of groups pushing for passage of the bill that includes DC Vote, the NAACP, LCCR, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, and the D.C. Republican Committee.
After calling the bill's passage D.C.'s "number one priority," Mayor Fenty organized a march for D.C. voting rights with DC Vote and LCCR. The march, held on April 16, drew nearly 2,000 participants.
The D.C. Voting Rights Act still faces stiff opposition. Joe Lieberman, I. Conn., said he will champion the bill in the Senate, but President Bush has threatened to veto the law if it comes to his desk.
"Thousands of us turned out this week to demand the vote, and Congress listened. We have had an uphill battle, and D.C.'s struggle with Congress has often felt like David vs. Goliath," said DC Vote Executive Director Ilir Zherka. "Today we celebrate a hard-fought victory and roll up our sleeves for the Senate. We will have a battle in the Senate, but we have democracy on our side."
