The ongoing debate about Washington D.C. statehood and its impact on representation and democracy.
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VOTER SUPPRESSION
The denial of full voting rights to the 700,000 residents of D.C., the majority of whom are Black and brown, is an egregious example of ongoing voter suppression happening in our country today.
RACISM
The denial of statehood to D.C. residents is rooted in racism. Just as Black voters started to exercise their political power in D.C. after the Civil War, Congress replaced D.C.’s local government, blocking the heavily Black region from having full voting rights.
LOCAL RIGHTS
Because D.C. is not a state, Congress has been able to block D.C. residents from passing local laws to protect and expand rights for immigrants, LGBTQ communities, and reproductive rights.
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PUBLIC HEALTH
From COVID-19 relief to HIV/AIDS and abortion access, denying full voting rights to the people of D.C. has detrimental effects on local public health.
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CONSTITUTIONALITY
D.C. statehood is constitutional and granting D.C. statehood does not require any new constitutional amendments.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Lack of statehood means that D.C. does not have control over many aspects of its own criminal justice system and is unable to enact needed reforms for local safety.
VETERANS
Among D.C.’s voting population today are more than 11,000 active-duty service members and more than 30,000 veterans, all of whom are being denied their full voting rights simply because they live in D.C.
TAXES
D.C. residents pay their federal and local taxes just like everyone else, yet they are being denied their full voting rights.
Washington, D.C. is the only national capital in the democratic world whose citizens do not have equal voting and representation rights.
The 700,000 people who live in D.C. are just like people who live in any other state in America. We are veterans, nurses, grocery store clerks, teachers, restaurant workers, volunteers, family members, and neighbors.
Learn about our campaign for statehood
People who live in D.C. cannot achieve statehood on our own. Granting D.C. statehood is needed, constitutional, and the only way to enfranchise the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been wrongly denied our full voting rights.
We need your help.
Contact your Member of Congress
Learn more: https://dcstatehoodnow.org/
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