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Norton Requests a Lincoln Bicentennial Date in February for House Passage of the D.C. Voting Rights Act

Friday, December 5, 2008

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting an early vote on the D.C. Voting Rights Act. Although Norton’s office was in touch with the offices of the leaders of both the House and the Senate immediately following the Nov. 4th elections, she used her letter to pass on the suggestion of Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, that a date close to February 12th, the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and the centennial of the NAACP’s founding, would be especially appropriate.

DC Vote Asks Council to Approve ‘Taxation Without Representation’ Street

Street Name Would Spread Message About DC Voting Rights

Monday, November 24, 2008

Washington, DC - Today, DC Vote urged the DC City Council to approve a bill introduced to rename a portion of South Capitol Street, SE, as "Taxation Without Representation Street." The Council will consider Bill 17-909 to designate the portion of South Capitol Street, SE, between N Street, SE, and Potomac Avenue, SE as "Taxation Without Representation Street, SE."

DC Vote Named 'Among the Best' in Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington 2008-2009 Edition

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Washington, DC - DC Vote is pleased to announce that we were chosen as one of the best small nonprofits by the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington in its 2008-2009 "Guide to Giving." The Catalogue chose DC Vote, along with 67 other small nonprofits, from approximately 235 candidates.

DC Vote Hosts Veterans Day Rally Tomorrow

DC Area Veterans, Military Families and Del. Norton Join to Demand Equal Representation

Monday, November 10, 2008

Washington, DC - Veterans, veterans' families, and other supporters of DC voting rights will gather on Capitol Hill for DC Vote's Veterans Day Rally. Since World War I, more than 192,000 DC residents have served America and more than 1,600 men and women have given their lives to protect our country while being denied democracy at home.

DC Vote Victory Looks Promising with New President, Congress

Statement from DC Vote Executive Director

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Washington, DC - Last night's election could have significant implications for the DC voting rights movement. The following statement from Ilir Zherka, DC Vote Executive Director, about Tuesday's election results may be quoted in part or in full:

House Vote on Guns Takes Shameful Step toward Thwarting DC Democracy

Move Opposed by nearly 70 Percent of Americans

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Washington, DC - The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to strip Washingtonians of their power to enact local gun laws.

Poll on DC Gun Bill Shows Strong Majority of Americans Oppose Congressional Interference

Monday, September 15, 2008

Washington, DC - DC Vote commissioned a national poll conducted by KRC Research on Congress' impending vote to override the gun laws in the District of Columbia.

DC Vote Honored for Civil Rights Leadership

Ronald H. Brown Foundation Presents Award in Denver

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Denver, CO - DC Vote was presented with the Ronald H. Brown Foundation Award for civil rights leadership on Monday, August 25, in Denver, Colorado.

DC Vote Video to be Shown at Pepsi Center at Democratic National Convention

Music Video to Precede Speech on Voting Rights By Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton

Monday, August 25, 2008

Washington, DC - DC Vote's music video will be prominently featured at the 2008 Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, August 26. The video will precede a speech on DC voting rights by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Norton, Vice Chair of Platform Committee, to Speak at Denver Convention

Congresswoman to Focus on DC Voting Rights During DNC Speech

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Washington, DC - Democrat National Committee Chair Howard Dean said today that Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton will speak at the Democratic National Convention, upon recommendation of the party’s nominee, Senator Barack Obama. Norton will speak on Wednesday evening at the Denver convention on D.C. voting rights.

DC Vote Responds to Latest Gun Bill Update

Speaker Pelosi Says She Opposes Bill But Will Allow a Vote

Friday, August 1, 2008

Washington, DC - In an article today in The Hill, 'Pelosi opposes gun bill but may allow vote', House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced that she will allow a vote on a bill that would dictate DC's gun laws. The bill imposes gun legislation on the District and would override any legislation written by the locally-elected DC government. According to the article, supporters have a commitment for a vote by mid-September.

DC Vote Garners Coalition Support to Oppose Souder's Gun Bill

DC GOP Joins NAACP and Others Calling for End to Congress' Interference

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Washington, DC - Nineteen local and national organizations have joined DC Vote in signing onto a letter urging members of the House of Representatives to oppose H. Res. 1331, a discharge petition that would allow Congress to impose gun laws on citizens of the District of Columbia. Coalition members, including the DC Republican Committee, NAACP and DC Appleseed have requested that members of Congress 'respect local democracy for Americans living in our nation's capital.'

House Members Attempt to Re-Introduce Gun Bill

DC Vote Says Resolution Infringes on the District's Right to Self-Governance

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Washington, DC - Representatives Mark Souder (R-IN) and Mike Ross (D-AR) have moved to introduce a bill to repeal DC's gun control laws, even after the Supreme Court has already ruled that the existing laws are unconstitutional in the historic District of Columbia v. Heller case.

Norton Seeks to Drive Back Unprecedented Attack on D.C. and the Democratic Majority

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she will ask members of both parties to decline to be a part of “a demeaning and disrespectful” effort to discharge from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, H.R. 1399. “This bill, unworthy of any member of Congress, usurps and seeks to interrupt the District’s statutory home rule right to rewrite its own gun laws as directed by the Supreme Court in Heller v. District of Columbia,” Norton said.

DC Council Approves Bill to Increase Visibility of Taxation Without Representation

Signs on Wilson Building and near Nationals Park to Display Amount DC Residents Pay in Federal Taxes

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Washington, DC - The DC City Council voted yesterday to approve Bill 17-28, the "Taxation Without Representation Federal Tax Pay-Out Message Board Installation Act of 2007." (PDF 13 kb)

Norton Says DC Voting Rights Bill Has New Republican Commitments

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) joined DC Council Chairman Vincent Gray, members of the DC Council, and the executive director of DC Vote this morning at a press conference at the Wilson Building, to give an update on her bill, S. 1257, "The District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007," and to offer her continuing support to local officials, and grassroots and civil rights organizations as the Council announced plans to move forward with a DC Council bill allowing for electronic message boards ticking off the taxes DC residents pay without representation. The boards will be located at the Wilson Building and near the new baseball stadium to promote DC voting rights.

DC Vote and DC Elected Officials Host Joint Press Conference

Chairman Gray, Del. Norton, DC Vote and DC City Council to Provide Updates on DC Voting Rights Movement

Monday, July 14, 2008

Washington, DC - DC Vote and local, elected officials will provide updates on the latest developments in DC voting rights and the fight to pass the DC House Voting Rights Act (S. 1257). DC Vote will unveil a new, national ad that highlights the lack of democracy for DC's fallen soldiers and veterans. The Council will also discuss a proposal for a message board that calculates the amount of tax dollars DC residents pay while being denied democracy. Del. Norton has also been invited to provide an update on the bill's status in the Senate.

Children to Lead 6th Annual White House Rally and Tea Party

DC Vote's Youngest Supporters to Rally for Voting Rights

Monday, June 30, 2008

Washington, DC - A group of DC area children will hold a Tea Party in front of the White House on Thursday, July 3 from 8:45-10:15am, to rally for full democratic rights for DC.

Local Students to Lobby Congress for DC Voting Rights

Ninth-Graders to Cap Off Intensive DC Voting Rights Course with Visits to Del. Holmes Norton and Key Senators

Monday, June 16, 2008

Washington, DC - Capping off a two-week intensive course on DC voting rights, twenty students from the Cesar Chavez Public Charter School will meet with Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and members of the U.S. Senate who are filibustering the DC Voting Rights Act (S. 1257).

DC Vote and Urban League to Build Support for DC Voting Rights During Trip to Mississippi

Group Aims to Engage Voters in Target States

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Washington, DC - DC Vote staff and a representative from the Greater Washington Urban League will visit Jackson, Mississippi, next week to meet with constituents and garner support for the DC Voting Rights Act.

Missoula Protesters Bring DC Voting Rights Issue to the Forefront

Activists Address Sen. Max Baucus Directly and Urge Meeting with DC Vote

Friday, May 9, 2008

Missoula, MT - In protest of the Senate filibuster of the DC Voting Rights Act (S. 1257), eleven Missoula residents and DC Vote supporters staged a protest rally on Saturday, May 3, at a meeting of the Missoula Democratic Central Committee where Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) was the featured speaker.

DC Voting Rights a Top Ten Issue for Young Voters

Friday, May 2, 2008

Washington, DC - DC voting rights is now a top ten issue on Campus Progress Action’s “I’m Voting For” Web site. The “I’m Voting For” project allows young people to upload video testimonials of themselves speaking about the issues that matter to them most in the upcoming elections. The project goal is to help media and elected officials understand and focus on issues that are important to the younger generation.

Missoula Residents to Stage Protest Outside Event Featuring Sen. Baucus

Supporters to Call for DC Voting Rights Support

Friday, May 2, 2008

Missoula, MT - Montana residents staging a peaceful protest outside an event where Sen. Max Baucus is speaking. The protesters will be wearing "Taxation Without Representation" t-shirts and carrying handmade signs calling for Sen. Baucus to end his filibuster of the DC Voting Rights Act.

DC Republican Committee Joins DC Vote Coalition

Lends Support to the Fight for DC Voting Rights

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Washington, DC - The District of Columbia Republican Committee has joined DC Vote's coaltion of more than 75 partner organizations fighting for DC voting rights.

DC Vote Celebrates Tax Day With Protest Activities

Volunteers to Spread Message of Taxation Without Representation

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Washington, DC - Volunteers, wearing "taxation without representation" t-shirts and carrying "Demand the Vote" signs, will visit Metro stations and a post office to hand out "DC quarters" and postcards to pedestrians.

DC Voting Rights Act Could Benefit Montana

Research Findings Show Bill Could Help, Not Hurt, Montana's Influence in Congress

Monday, April 7, 2008

Washington, DC - Advocacy organizations, DC Vote and DC Appleseed, have presented Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) with a memo from Latham & Watkins LLP that addresses the Senator's concerns about the DC Voting Rights Act (S. 1257).

Greater Washington Urban League Recognizes DC Vote for Leadership

Ilir Zherka to Receive Whitney M. Young Jr. Award

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Washington, DC - Ilir Zherka, DC Vote Executive Director, has been chosen as one of two recipients of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Leadership Award from the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL).

Voting Rights March Cancelled

Pope's Visit to DC to Include April 16 Procession

Monday, March 24, 2008

Washington, DC - With Pope Benedict XVI visiting Washington, DC, on April 16, 2008, plans for a Voting Rights March on that day have been cancelled.

DC Vote Launches Campaign in Oregon

Staff Head West to Engage Constituents Through Education and Outreach

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Washington, DC - DC Vote will make the next stop on our national public awareness campaign with a trip to Oregon. Staff will continue to travel to several states where Senate members are blocking an up or down vote on the DC Voting Rights Act.

Residents Call for 'Taxation Without Representation' on DC Quarter Design

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Washington, DC – With the fate of the District of Columbia’s commemorative quarter now in the hands of the U.S. Mint, speculation on its design is running high. After a public comment period, the District government submitted three design narratives yesterday, all containing the phrase 'Taxation Without Representation' or 'No Taxation Without Representation.'

Voting Rights Activists Take Message to Montana

DC Vote to Visit Missoula, Butte, and Pablo to Educate Constituents about the DC Voting Rights Act

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Washington, DC - DC Vote is beginning a public awareness campaign to spread the message of DC's disenfranchisement to the states, starting with a trip to western Montana.

DC Delegation Heads to New Hampshire in Support of Local Bill

Mayor, Council and DC Vote Staff to Testify on NH House Bill Supporting DC Voting Rights

Monday, January 7, 2008

Concord, NH - "Rep. Rosenwald's bill supporting democracy for all Americans echoes the sentiments of many who have learned about DC's lack of voting representation," said Ilir Zherka, Executive Director of DC Vote. "New Hampshire is just one of many states DC Vote will visit to educate Americans about the disenfranchisement of the more than half a million District residents who pay taxes, serve on juries and fight in wars yet are denied a vote in Congress. Throughout 2008 we will travel to several other states where Senate members are blocking an up or down vote on the DC Voting Rights Act to educate their constituency about this critical issue."

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