Debate On Washington DC Voting Rights Opens Up Again

With Democrats in control of the White House and both Houses of the United States Congress, the citizens of Washington D.C. are positive about having voting rights for the city.

During the 2008 United States Presidential Election, there was a topic that was not touched upon at all: that topic would be the voting rights for Washington D.C. Despite being the nation’s capital, the voting rights for the citizens that live in Washington D.C. are different than anywhere else. They do not have representation in the United States Congress. Technically, there is representation in the United States House of Representatives. However, there is a catch. The delegate representing Washington D.C. does not get a vote on the House floor. It has no representation in the United States Senate. Even though it has been a subject barely touched during the 2008 US Presidential Elections, it is still a major subject. There are reforms already proposed. Leading the drive to advocate voting rights and representation for Washington D.C. is the group known as “DC Vote.” On a side note, a friend of mine works for the group. For those that live within or near Washington D.C., one should have been familiar with the license plates and bumper stickers with the slogan of “Taxation Without Representation.” Opponents and proponents of DC voting rights have debated about this for quite awhile. With Democrats holding the White House and a strong majority in the United States Congress, it is inevitable that talk of DC voting rights would emerge once again. So far, debate has opened up today. Should the bill pass, the 600,000+ people in Washington D.C. would get a full vote in the US House of Representatives. It is expected to pass through Congress and signed into law by Obama. As a byproduct, Utah would get a fourth seat in the House. In that respect, the GOP would gain another seat. Since the majority of people in DC tend to vote Democrat, Democrats will end up getting another seat in the House. So far, the people of DC can vote in Presidential Elections. They can also vote to elect the mayor and other city officials. Another contrast between US President Barack Obama and former US President George W. Bush is shown. While Bush threatened to veto the bill, Obama supports it. It is expected that there will be Republican support on this one. In the past, eight Republican Senators voted to support DC voting rights. Now, seven of them have returned. It is expected that full representation should happen by the start of 2011. In this respect, supporters are excited about this possible turn of events. GOP Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah feels that it is going to pass through the Senate. Still, there is the chance that the bill could be shot down in Congress. Hatch gave concerns that there may be an attempt to mess things up. Still, many are positive that the bill could be passed and signed into law. This is a measure supported by both Democrats and Republicans. However, opponents say that it is unconstitutional because Washington D.C. is not a state. “If the District of Columbia deserves a member of the House of Representatives, they deserve two senators as well,” said GOP Senator John McCain of Arizona. According to one Republican, former Representative Tom Davis of Virginia, he said that representation in Congress is something that should have been granted to the people of Washington D.C. a long time ago. On a side note, should this happen, there could be more African-American representation in the US Congress due to the high population of African-Americans. Will this bill be able to pass? We will have to wait and see.