DC Voting Rights Act

The DC Voting Rights Act of 2009 would bring congressional voting representation to the District of Columbia.

Unlike the rest of the United States, the District of Columbia is represented in the House by a single delegate, and while it does not have representation in the Senate, it does have three Electoral College votes given to it in 1961 by way of the 23rd Amendment.

Proponents of the DC Voting Rights legislation say that the Act would end a disparity between most US residents and residents of the District of Columbia, who have had to suffer taxation without representation while living under the authority of Congress.

The only Constitutional way for DC residents to receive representation in Congress would be by Constitutional Amendment, which requires ratification by a three-quarters majority of US states. In 1977, an attempt was made to create such an Amendment, but it failed to be ratified by 38 states, the Constitutional minimum, and it never took effect.

In 2000, the Supreme Court upheld a federal court ruling that DC residents could not be represented in Congress by anything other than a delegate because the Constitution "does not contemplate" DC for purposes of apportionment.

It isn't altruism that keeps Democratic lawmakers working to circumvent the Constitution and enact a law giving the District voting rights -- it's power. Because the Washington city government is dominated by Democrats, any new Representatives or Senators from DC would likely be Democrats as well, potentially shifting the balance of power in Congress and giving the ruling party the filibuster-proof super-majority it has been seeking since it took over the body in 2006.

Index to the 2009 Liberal Agenda:

• DC Voting Rights Act
• Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act
• Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act
• Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Improvements Act
• Employee Free Choice Act