Support The District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009

Media 02.10.09

Recipient: U.S. Senate

Dear Senator:


On behalf of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) and the undersigned individual organizations, we urge you to support S. 160, the “District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act,” (“DC VRA”) during markup this Wednesday in the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. As Congress considers an economic recovery package and many other proposals that so greatly affect our nation’s future, it should assure the citizens of Washington, DC and Utah that Congress is committed to giving them a fair and equal voice.


Washington, DC residents pay federal income taxes, serve on juries, and die in wars to defend American democracy, but they do not have voting representation in the U.S. House of Representatives or the Senate. As we work to promote democracy around the world, we simply cannot afford to leave hundreds of thousands of our own citizens out in the cold.


In addition, since 2001, Utah residents have had their right to vote undermined. Because thousands of state residents living abroad were not counted in the 2000 census, Utah was given only three congressional districts instead of four. As a result, the votes of Utah’s citizens have been diluted.


The DC VRA will provide Washington, DC residents with their own voting member of the House of Representatives for the first time ever, and give Utah an additional House district through at least 2012. Because each party would likely gain one additional House seat under the bill, its political impact would be neutral. As you know, in 2007, a bipartisan majority of the Senate supported the legislation.


The DC VRA is well within Congress’ broad constitutional powers to govern the District of Columbia. Furthermore, given the principles upon which the American Revolution was fought, we believe that our Founders would never accept the “taxation without representation” of more than 500,000 Americans today.


Please expand democracy to the residents of DC and Utah by supporting S. 160. Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, please contact Rob Randhava, LCCR Counsel, at 202-466-6058.


Sincerely,


American Association for Affirmative Action
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers
American Jewish Committee
Americans for Democratic Action, Inc.
Anacostia Coordinating Council
Anti-Defamation League
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
Asian American Justice Center
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
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