Who knows if it’ll actually pass this time, but it seems like the support is growing, enough so to finally give voting rights to DC.
The bill passed with 61 votes in the Senate. If it passes the House, the legislation would give DC full voting rights to for the House of Representatives. Additionally, the bill would add a seat for Utah, bringing the total members of Congress to 437.
Giving DC real representation in the House has always seemed like a no-brainer to me, even if it establishes an unbeatable Democrat seat. With over 600,000 residents, DC deserves to have more than just non-voting representation. True, it is not a state, but it is certainly in a different situation that US protectorates in the Caribbean.
DC residents already vote in presidential elections and pay federal taxes. So much of what Congress and the Senate do – the entire federal government for that matter – impacts DC residents and as such they should get more than committee votes in their representation.
Some may argue that it is a slippery slope because what comes next, a US Senate seat? Moving in that direction would be far more problematic, so I’m not sure the argument has much merit.
Kyle Trygstad summarizes the implications over at Real Clear Politics,
D.C. would be granted one House district (a number that by law would not be allowed to increase), though it would not be treated as a state for the purposes of representation in the Senate. Depending on the outcome of the 2010 Census and reapportionment, Utah — which was next in line to gain a House district following the 2000 Census — theoretically could lose its fourth seat.
The debate on the Senate floor centered primarily on whether it’s constitutional for Congress to give voting representation to a non-state. Opinions on the issue vary, especially regarding the fact that D.C. is not a state. Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution was recited countless times on the Senate floor by Republican opponents, and opponents in the House will likely do the same next week as well. It states: “The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states.”
You can read the rest of Trygstad’s article here for more points from proponents and opponents.
