E-bulletin - Issue X - November 22, 2005
Dear DC Vote Supporters:
The holidays are here and DC Vote is as active as ever!
Use the links below to read about DC Vote news that's important to you:
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2005 Champions of Democracy Awards Reception - Photos & Thanks
  
More than 300 supporters joined DC Vote on October 20, 2005, at the Madison Hotel to honor this year's Champions of Democracy Awards Reception.
The Awards Reception was a huge success and DC Vote is deeply grateful to our event sponsors and ticket buyers for their support.
Attendees also bid on over 75 items that were part of DC Vote's Third Annual 'Let Washington Be Heard' Silent Auction. For DC Vote, the Silent Auction was a big winner, and we are deeply grateful to the donors of items and services.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama Speaks Out on DC Voting Rights
During his most recent visit to Washington, DC, His Holiness The Dalai Lama was questioned by a student at the Booker T. Washington Public Charter School for Technical Arts about DC voting rights. The international spiritual leader voiced his support for full congressional voting representation in Congress for residents of the nation's capital:
"The Tibetan leader said it was "quite strange" that people in Washington DC had no voting Representatives and no Senators, an issue that has dogged the United States for the last 200 years."
The article, by AFP - one of the world's largest news agencies, appeared in international publications and on several online news sources reaching millions of people around the globe with the message of DC's denial of democracy. See the story on Yahoo!, the Indian online media source www.expressindia.com and the Tibetian online media source www.phayul.com.
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Community & Advocacy Activities
DC Vote has been out in the community raising awareness about DC's injustice at a number of events over the past month including speaking enagements with the Washington Council of Lawyers - DC Voting Representation in Congress; Greater DC Cares - Voting Rights Struggles: Past and Present; the DC Young Suffragists; and the Ward 7 Democrats.
As a supporting organization or friend of the event, DC Vote has also been involved with the The Mayoral Election Forum - One Year To Go and Global Peace through Compassion - His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington, DC.
To honor the great veterans of the District of Columbia and America, DC Vote asked supporters to take action before Veterans' Day to help raise awareness of DC's denial of American democracy.
DC Vote continues to work with its coalition partners, members of Congress and other individuals and organizations on the DC Fairness in Representation Act (DC FAIR Act, H.R. 2043).
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New Reports & Recent Media Coverage
A new report entitled A New Federal Contribution to the District of Columbia? The Need, Likely Impact, And Some Options (PDF 92 kb), by Ed Lazare of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute and David Garrison of the Brookings Institution, was released in November 2005. Building from information described in the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Structural Imbalance and Management Issues report by the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO), dated May 2003 (PDF 2,257 kb), the report further explores DC's growing structural imbalance caused by Congress' interference with DC's ability to raise local revenue.
The DC Fairness in Representation Act (DC FAIR Act, H.R. 2043) and other issues concerning DC voting rights were also covered in local, national and international media over the past month.
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Students for DC Vote
The Students for DC Vote organization includes campus coordinators and student members at 21 colleges and universities in DC and around the country. These students are taking local action to raise awareness and getting articles, letters and opinion pieces published in their local and school papers, on radio stations and online.
The work of student groups is critical to our successes in raising national awareness and advocating for legislation. If you are interested in joining a Students for DC Vote chapter or creating one on your campus, visit the Students for DC Vote Web page.
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DC Vote - CFC #7240 and One Fund #09558
DC Vote is participating for the fourth year in the Combined Federal Campaign or CFC. If you are a federal employee, you can help support DC Vote's programs and services by selecting DC Vote's CFC #7240. If you have friends and neighbors who work for the federal government, let them know that they can help bring democracy to DC by selecting DC Vote's CFC #7240.
DC Vote is also a participant in the DC government's One Fund campaign. Employees of the government of the District of Columbia should mark One Fund #09558 to designate DC Vote.
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Upcoming Meetings & Happy Hours
DC Vote will NOT be holding a Happy Hour in December 2005. Our monthly Happy Hours will start up again in January 2006, so check back on our upcoming events page for updates.
The Student Outreach Committee will meet on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at the DC Vote offices - 1500 U Street, NW. For more information on the work of the committee, read minutes from past meetings.
Because of the tight holiday schedule, the next Communications Committee meeting and the next Advocacy and Outreach Committee have not yet been scheduled. Check back on our upcoming events page for updates.
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Gifts for the Holidays!
DC Vote has great merchandise available for sale through our cafepress.com store! Our merchandise is perfect for gifts for friends and family both in and outside of DC. If you're looking for DC Vote shirts, hats, mugs, aprons, buttons, cards, or even boxer shorts, our online store has it all.
Here are some samples:
  
  
  
Click here or on any of the images above to go to DC Vote's online store.
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My DC Vote
Logon to My DC Vote from the left navigation bar on DC Vote's Web site and you will be able to manage your contact information, e-mail subscriptions, and learn what's new since your last visit. DC Vote has also updated its membership and contribution page. Using My DC Vote makes it easier and more secure than ever to donate to DC Vote online. (All online transactions are handled by our secure server).
Signing up on our Web site is now easier than ever, and one of the keys to our success will be the ability to reach supporters across the country to ask them to help us end taxation without representation. We need all of our members and supporters to log in to My DC Vote to tell us where you are currently registered to vote. If you are a DC resident, you can tell us what Ward you are in, and, if applicable, you can tell us the state where you were registered to vote before moving to DC. DC Vote has a secure server and does not share its e-mail list or any information about voting registration with anyone.
It takes a great deal of resources to work on all these projects and stay engaged in all these activities. Please help DC Vote by making a donation today.
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