Legislation Would Give D.C. a Vote In the House

Hurdles Loom; Backers Say Plan Is Best Shot at Voting Rights
A bill to grant more than 500,000 District citizens a voting member in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time was introduced last night by House Government Reform Committee Chairman Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.). Staking out uncharted constitutional and political terrain, the D.C. Fairness in Representation Act would temporarily expand the House by two members to 437 seats, adding one seat for a representative from the District and a fourth member from Utah. [more] Pictured above:  Rep. Thomas M. Davis , who said "The capital of the free world ought to have a vote in Congress,"  

• DC is nearly 70% Black
• DC has no voting rights in Congress
• Senate Panel Recognizes D.C. Structural Deficit [more]