Watchdog Blog

Guns, Votes and DC

On last Thursday, the Senate finally approved at least one vote in Congress for the long-disenfranchised citizens of the nation's capital.  That was the hand that giveth . . .

The other hand promptly took away the common-sense gun control laws put into place by the locally-elected government of Washington, D.C.

Senator John Ensign (R-NV) offered an amendment to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act (61-37) that - if it should become law - could make D.C. one of the most free-wheeling-gun-toting places in the country.  It passed by 62-36.  That's right - more guns got one vote more than democracy.

First of all, what business does Congress have removing safeguards on selling and possessing firearms that meet the standards set by the highest court?  The D.C. City Council recently amended its local gun laws to comply with a Supreme Court ruling.  There is no sound reason for Congress to use extraordinary powers to preempt the democratic will of the people of D.C. - especially to make the city less safe. 

This gun measure is more than symbolism, or politics:  It's about public safety.  Specifically, the gun amendment would undermine federal anti-trafficking laws, repeal D.C.’s ban on military-style weapons, allow teenagers to possess semiautomatic assault rifles, and prohibit D.C. from passing laws that could “discourage” gun possession or use, by anyone - even children or felons.

And exactly what do gun laws have to do with the right to vote?  House leadership should not consider this or any other non-germane proposal with this civil and voting rights bill.  This is about righting a historic wrong and bringing more democracy to the so-called capital of the free world.  

It seems some in Congress think it is within their power to rule over the more than half a million people who live in the District of Columbia, even if those people have no democratic representation in Congress. This has got to change. It's time to tell members of the House that We the People are more powerful than the gun lobby who are pushing to have their interests imposed upon District residents. 

The House likely will vote on the bill on Wednesday, March 4.  Hopefully, they will walk our nation's democratic talk and do right by the people of D.C. by restoring their voting representation in the House AND rejecting any attempts to undermine their local democratic government.  If they succeed, members of the House will then need to negotiate with the Senate for the removal of the dangerous and unnecessary gun amendment.  President Obama should not have to consider whether to sign a divisive gun measure into law at the same time he acts to return voting rights to the citizens of the District.

If you live outside of Washington, D.C., please feel enfranchised to give your rep. a nudge to take a stand for more democracy now.  District residents can thank their non-voting delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, for tirelessly fighting for their rights.

D.C. residents can die in combat but have no say in Congress

originally posted by Joe Newman on Citizen Vox

Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left.

You can march off to battle,

But steer clear of the polls.

Fight for us, die for us

but don’t forget your role.

– from “The New Cadence” by Estilito Diaz

Unlike previous rallies in support of D.C. voting rights, the one today in front of the U.S. Capitol was different. There was a sense that the fight to give the District of Columbia a seat in Congress might be gaining momentum. As people all over the country are saying, it’s a new day.

It doesn’t hurt that the D.C. Voting Rights Act has supporters in high places. President-elect Barack Obama has indicated he’ll support the act, D.C.’s Delegate to the House of Representatives, Eleanor Holmes Norton, told the supporters gathered for the Veteran’s Day rally.

“He told me he will sign the bill,” Norton said. “It’s up to us to get him a bill to sign.”

Fireworks, Barbecue and a Vote for DC

As we celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks, cookouts and a relaxing day off of work, the promise of our democracy remains unfulfilled for many.

More than half a million people live in the capital of the United States without voting representation in Congress. Citizens of the District of Columbia pay U.S. taxes, fight and die for the U.S. during wartime, and are governed by the laws that Congress passes.  And yet, shockingly, DC citizens have only a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives.

This gross injustice could be righted soon - but we need your help.  The Senate is considering a floor vote on the DC Voting Rights Act, which the House passed in April.  There are some senators who are considering blocking this bill, even after it passed overwhelmingly out of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.   Senators have not blocked a piece of voting rights legislation since the days of Jim Crow.  Now is not the time to turn back the clock.

Citizens in the District of Columbia don't have senators of their own to call, so they need you to stand up for them and our democratic values.  Contact your senators today and urge them to vote for the DC Voting Rights Act!

We can't claim democracy for other countries or hope to clean up Washington if taxpayers in the nation's capital continue to be disenfranchised.

Let your senators know that it's high time that DC citizens have voting representation in Congress.  It's the patriotic thing to do.

Dancing in the Streets of the Nation's Capital

Today we are celebrating a hard-won victory.  The U.S. House of Representatives finally voted to restore voting rights to the citizens of Washington, D.C.!  The D.C. Voting Rights Act, which provides voting representation in the House for D.C., passed 241-177 this afternoon.

House passage of this bill not only is historic, it also is one of the more interesting tales of strange bedfellows and political brokering.  One of the long-standing issues preventing a statutory fix for D.C.’s lack of representation were objections raised by some in the Republican party over what would be a guaranteed seat for the Democrats.  This bill eliminated partisan bickering by providing a new seat for each party. 

The D.C. Voting Rights Act grows the House to 437 seats – one for D.C. and another for Utah.  Utah (a majority Republican state) has longed for another seat since the last census deprived them of a fourth anticipated representative (I am told the U.S. Census Bureau refused to count the missionaries on travel).  This clever DC-Utah match was first made by Rep. Tom Davis (D-Va.) who introduced the bill and worked magic on it in the less-than-receptive last Congress.

Eventually Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton came along and joined Davis on the bill, after her party’s concerns that the lone Democrat in Utah might be ousted were quelled.  The Democrats wanted Rep. Matheson safe – otherwise it would be a 2 for 1, right?  So, two proposals were floated and the agreed upon solution was to have the Utah legislature pass a four-district map that worked for both parties.  The 109th Congress was drawing to a close and Utah legislators had but a few weeks to get a contingent redistricting map passed.  Remarkably, they succeeded.  Unfortunately, the House did not, though the bill actually made it through committee and got within spitting distance of the House floor last December before the end of the 109th Congress.

The bill faced less resistance this year, but still hit some bumps in the road.  A few weeks ago a few members of the House tried to tack on a repeal of the D.C. gun ban.  House leaders pulled the bill to regroup and prevent other killer amendments.  The bill got a new number and headed back to the floor today for the victorious vote.

Rep. Davis, Del. Norton, D.C. Mayor Fenty and others should be thanked for their tremendous leadership on D.C. voting rights.  But it should be noted that the political will behind the bill was largely generated by the powerhouse coalition of diverse civil rights, voting rights, business groups and other public interest organizations (like Public Citizen).  The march towards passage led by a small group of committed folks who work for D.C. Vote has been dogged and masterful. 

And we aren’t done marching yet.

It has been more than 200 years since the citizens of D.C. had a voice in Congress.   Let’s take this bill to the Senate and make it right.

No Taxation Without Representation

On a cold, rainy and windy day, I generally spend as little time outside as possible. But yesterday, in spite of the damp and dreary conditions, I joined nearly 5,000 people to march to the Capitol and demand the same basic right guaranteed to all other Americans -- the right to be represented in Congress.

When I moved to D.C. almost two years ago, one of my biggest concerns was that I would have to give up my right to representation. What was the point of being able to walk to Capitol Hill if you didn't have a member of Congress to visit?

So when I learned that Public Citizen was co-sponsoring a D.C. Voting Rights Rally, I gladly braved the wind and joined thousands of others in chanting "Free D.C.!" It was quite a sight--a sea of people marching towards the Capitol to demand the right to vote.

"No taxation without representation!" we chanted. This basic principle is found in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.  D.C. citizens made it clear that they will not rest until that promise is finally kept.

Congress has the opportunity to fulfill the promise now. The D.C. Voting Rights Act, H.R. 1433, introduced by Delegate Norton and co-sponsored by 18 voting members, will give D.C. a voting representative in the House, and a fourth representative to Utah, due to the state's growing population, and to eliminate the issue of partisan politics (the D.C. rep. will likely be a Democrat, while the Utah rep. is expected to be a Republican). The bipartisan bill has been held up by procedural technicalities, and that needs to end. There is no good reason to continue depriving D.C. citizens of a vote in Congress. I was proud to be part of such a large movement, and I hope Congress got the message: we will not stop until we have voting rights.