There's Still Time to Pass the DC Voting Rights Act

"No Taxation Without Representation!" The venerable slogan, widely credited to Rev. Jonathan Mayhew who uttered it in a Boston church 250 years ago, is inscribed on hundreds of thousands of license plates affixed to District cars. It's an homage to the brave American colonists, who, fed up with being voiceless in the British Parliament, banded together and sent King George III a loud message: no more taxes unless they had direct representation in the national government.

A war ensued. The Americans won. And now all citizens of United States have full and equal voting representation in their national Congress, right?

Not exactly, as 600,000 citizens of the District of Columbia know all too well. Despite a population larger than the state of Wyoming, DC has no Senators or voting member in the House of Representatives. Wyoming has two senators and one House of Representative member. We say freedom from Congressional tyranny has yet to arrive on our doorsteps.

And while there were high hopes for a Congressional remedy with Democratic majorities in both the Senate and the House, sadly, that hope all but evaporated on November 2 when Republicans took control of the House and gained seats in the Senate. Faithful supporters of the DC Voting Rights Act find themselves befuddled as time quickly winds down on the lame duck Congress jammed packed with tax cuts, federal spending, job creation and disarmament treaty debates. They are fully aware that if the bill fails to advance in the Senate before January 2, it's once again back to the drawing board. And we were so close.

The incoming Congress will not be friendly to the residents of the District or our struggle for full voting representation in Congress. Republicans and Tea Partiers have their own agenda and DC voting rights is not expected to be on it. This is why the best prospect for getting legislation through the Senate and to President Obama's desk is now. But the cause is barely registering a whisper in local or national media. Even the people who would be most affected by the bill-DC residents-seem to have lost interest as most are now more concerned about the economy and jobs.

Still, DC's non-voting Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) should be commended for her valiant efforts to get some traction on the bill, despite the grim outlook for passage. She has tried to rally supporters across the city for the bill, including most recently at a two-hour discussion with Anacostia residents. She has reached across the aisle to get Republican support and has the President's commitment to sign it. But will all her hard work pay off?

There is still a chance to right the injustice. The Senate has until January 2 to do just that. We call on all freedom-loving Americans to call Senators and tell them to pass the bill. There are 600,000 reasons to do it. And then finally the last colony can shake off the shackles.

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