National Action Alert
Voting Rights for D.C. Citizens
LWVUS reaffirmed its commitment to full voting representation in Congress for District of Columbia citizens at both the 1998 and 2000 conventions. President Bush is reported in a Washington Post April 26, 2001 editorial as opposing this basic democratic right.
DC citizens are subject to all the laws which Congress enacts - war and taxes along with all the rest - yet they have no vote in our federal legislature. Congress may veto any DC enacted legislation it chooses, reviews the DC budget as if it were a Federal agency and may even deny DC citizens use of locally raised funds.
League member letters voicing your concerns to President Bush, as well as to your Senators and Congressional Representatives, will be appreciated. Copies of your letters and any responses you receive from your federal legislators will also be appreciated. Send them to LWVUS, 733 15th St., NW, Suite 432, Washington, DC 20005-6020.
"No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined."
Supreme Court Justice Black, Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)
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Spring 2001
Fall 2001
President's Message (Maile Bay)