E-bulletin - Issue II - May 31, 2007
Dear DC Vote Supporters:
This year has gone by quickly for DC Vote. We have been involved in a whirlwind of activity-from the Voting Rights March to the DC VRA's passage in the House to Senate committee action. We have kept you updated on an event-by-event basis. We would now like to give our supporters a snapshot of everything we've been up to the past few months.
Click through the links below to learn more about what catches your eye:
Urgent Action Needed in Maine
Before we tell you how we got here, let us tell you where we are going. The legislation will make it to the floor of the Senate this summer if we can bring a few key senators on board. Two of the senators represent Maine, and they need to hear from us. Please contact anyone you know in Maine, and tell them to ask Senators Collins and Snowe to cosponsor and pass the DC House Voting Rights Act.
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Cosponsors Added to Bill Following Congress Day 2007
  
Nearly 500 people turned out to educate members of Congress and their staff about the DC House Voting Rights Act on Congress Day. Citizens from all eight wards of Washington, DC, visited nearly all the offices in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Teams included senior citizens, elected officials, students and community activists. Many cosponsors were added to the bill the day after Congress Day! Members of Congress and their staff commented that we made our presence felt on the Hill. Advocates with red and blue "Let DC Vote" buttons were found in offices, in the halls, and on elevators.
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Voting Rights March Makes History
  
The photos from the Voting Rights March speak for themselves. Thousands turned out - as many as 5,000 - and Congress listened. We marched to the Capitol to demand the vote and within days, the DC VRA passed the House.
We thank the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights for cosponsoring the event with us. We appreciate Common Cause and People For the American Way for allowing us to phone bank from their offices night after night. We give special thanks to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and the DC government for all they did to make the day a success. Most of all, we thank every individual who turned out on one of the windiest days of the year to demand the vote.
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DC Voting Rights Act Passes the House
  
On April 19, the House of Representatives voted 241-177 in favor of the DC House Voting Rights Act. This marks the first time in a generation that the House of Representatives passed a bill to give the nearly 600,000 tax-paying American citizens living in the District of Columbia a voting member of Congress.
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An Evening to Celebrate
  
Just days after the Voting Rights March, the DC VRA passed the House and DC Vote took time to celebrate this hard-fought victory with our allies, including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
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Recent Activity in Senate Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees
The bipartisan introduction of S. 1257 was followed by hearings in both the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Reform Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. Chaired by Senator Lieberman, the Homeland Security Committee took up the issue on May 15. A mark-up is tentatively scheduled in that committee for the second week of June.
Senator Russ Feingold presided over a hearing for the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 23. A panel of distinguished public servants and legal experts, including Congressman Chris Cannon, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, former Chief Judge Patricia Wald, Harvard Law Professor Charles J. Ogletree and attorney Richard Bress voiced their support for the constitutionality of the legislation.
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Volunteer Opportunities Sizzle in the Summer
  
This summer DC Vote is organizing a lot of fun opportunities for volunteers to come out and support the cause. We are asking for 2-4 hour shifts for volunteers who want to get active. Come out and support DC Vote this summer at one of the following events!
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UNIFEST 2007 - Saturday, June 2
- Capital Pride 2007 - Sunday, June 10
- Senate Lobby Day - tentatively June 20
- 4th of July Parade - TBA
- Senate Mark-Up - TBA
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Volunteer Spotlight: Stephen Colbert
Between the March and the Committee action, DC Vote has an abundance of volunteers to thank. So we thought we would take a minute and tip our hat to an unusual suspect: Stephen Colbert.
Everyone at DC Vote has enjoyed watching the coverage DC voting rights has received on the Colbert Report. We would like to commend Stephen for his tongue-in-cheek dedication to spread the word about the democracy denied to DC.
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Shop DC Vote Merchandise
DC Vote has 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
Log in 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 invite 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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