Area Resident has Plans for DC Vote License Plates in All 50 States

For more information contact: James Jones, Communications Director
202.462.6000 x12 office / 202.557.4864 mobile / jjones@dcvote.org

November 12, 2009

Washington, DC - Maryland resident Larry Ottinger has a plan to get residents from every state in the U.S. to put a DC voting rights plate on their car. He will reveal his plans on WTOP's The Politics Program with Mark Plotkin tomorrow, Friday, November 13, at 10:20 AM.

"We will accomplish this before the November 2010 congressional elections," said Ottinger, who has already begun with his own vehicle, displaying a personalized plate that reads "DC VOTE."

"For those of us who live in Maryland and Virginia," he added, "we have a special relationship and a special obligation to make the promise of democracy real for our DC neighbors and colleagues. We reap immeasurable benefits from being a part of the national capital region. Our employment, transportation, housing, recreational and environmental fates are inextricably linked."

Having spent his childhood in DC and later moving to neighboring Maryland, the issue is important to him. Increasingly, as organizations like DC Vote take the fight to target states, people are recognizing that everyone across the country–not just regionally–should do their part to further the cause of DC democracy.

"This is not a local issue," Ottinger emphasizes. "Democracy in America is a national, and even international, concern of the highest order. How can we defend democracy abroad if we deny fundamental rights to our own citizens at home?"

Ilir Zherka, executive director of DC Vote, expressed enthusiasm for Ottinger's plan.

"DC's 'taxation without representation' license plates bring national attention to the issue," he added, noting that all eyes have been on President Obama's limo tags for some time now. "This is a small but impactful thing supporters like Larry can do to shed light on this national civil rights issue."

A public interest lawyer and advocate for democracy reform, Ottinger stresses that he hopes this project can bring more attention to DC's lack of voting representation outside of the District.

"As an ordinary citizen," he said, "I want to do my small part to remove this stain from our democracy and make freedom ring for all Americans."

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