Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D-DC) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

The DC Voting Rights Act is the bipartisan consensus bill sponsored in the House by Representatives by Tom Davis (R-VA) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) that would grant District residents one voting member in the House.

On Thursday, April 19, 2007, the DC Voting Rights Act (H.R. 1905) passed the House of Representatives 241-177(House Roll Call Vote #231). This is the first time in a generation that the House has passed a bill that works toward bringing voting representation to the nearly 600,000 Americans living in the nation's capital.

On May 1, 2007, Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Bob Bennett (R-UT) introduced the DC Voting Rights Act (S. 1257) in the Senate. On Wednesday, June 13, 2007, the DC Voting Rights Act (S. 1257) passed in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs with broad bipartisan support 9-1.

On September 18, 2007, although a majority of the Senate voted to move the bill to a final vote, 57-42 (Senate Roll Call Vote #339), a minority of Senators led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) were able to maintain a filibuster.

DC Vote will continue to work closely with members of Congress, committee staff, local elected officials and coalition partners to end the Senate filibuster and bring the DC Voting Rights Act to a final vote during this 110th Congress.

In the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress, the DC Voting Rights Act, H.R. 1905, had also been introduced in earlier forms as H.R. 1433 and H.R. 328. It was known as H.R. 5388 in the 109th Congress. In the Senate, the DC Voting Rights Act is known as S. 1257.

Take Action and See What Others Are Doing

• Act NOW! Tell Congress to Pass the DC Voting Rights Act!
  Send E-mails to Your Members of Congress
  
  
• See What DC Vote and Coalition Organizations Are Doing
  Coalition and DC Vote Letters to the Hill & Congressional Dear Colleague Letters
  
  
• Sample Letter for Organizations to Support the DC Voting Rights Act
  Use This Template for Your Organization to Support DC Voting Rights
  
  

Information on the DC Voting Rights Act

• Constitutionality: Legal Opinions, Analysis & Research on DC Voting Rights
  
  
• DC Vote Informational One-Pagers & Letters on the DC Voting Rights Act
  
  
• Bill Information (Text, Cosponsors & Recorded Votes)
  
  
• Media Coverage of the DC Voting Rights Act
  
  
• Why Utah?

Legislative Events on the DC Voting Rights Act (110th Congress)

• Senate - Judiciary Committee Hearing on the House DC Voting Rights Act (S. 1257), May 23, 2007
  
  
• Senate - Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Hearing on DC Voting Rights Act (S.1257), May 15, 2007
  
  
• House of Representatives - DC Voting Rights Act Passes (H.R. 1905), April 19, 2007
  
  
• House of Representatives - Judiciary Committee Mark-Up of DC Voting Rights Act (H.R. 1433), March 15, 2007
  
  
• House of Representatives - Judiciary Committee Hearing of DC Voting Rights Act (H.R. 1433), March 14, 2007
  
  
• House of Representatives - Oversight and Government Reform Committee Mark-Up of the DC Voting Rights Act (H.R. 1433), March 13, 2007

Fast Facts on the DC Voting Rights Act

What Does It Do?

• The bill permanently expands the number of members of the House of Representatives from 435 to 437 seats.
  
  
• DC residents would have their first-ever voting member of the House of Representatives. The DC Delegate position would be eliminated.
  
  
• It also adds a seat to the next state in line to gain a Representative based on U.S. Census numbers. Currently that state is Utah.

What's Next

• DC Vote will continue to work closely with members of Congress, committee staff, local elected officials and coalition partners to end the Senate filibuster and bring the DC Voting Rights Act to a final vote during this 110th Congress.

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