DC residents seek Statehood because it is the most appropriate mechanism to grant the US citizens who reside in the District of Columbia the full rights privileges of American citizenship. These rights would include not only full voting rights in the US House of Representatives and US Senate, but also full control over its own local affairs.
The United States is the only nation in the world with a representative, democratic constitution that denies voting representation in the national legislature to the citizens of the capital.
Mayor Adrian Fenty made the following pledge while delivering his inaugural address on January 3, 2007:
DC elects a Delegate to the House of Representatives who can vote in committee and draft legislation, but does not have full voting rights. However, Congress is considering legislation that will grant DC's Delegate full voting rights. The current
Delegate is Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
DC residents also elect two shadow senators and a shadow representative as non-voting representatives. This
shadow delegation lobbies Congress on District issues and concerns.
There are various solutions that would bring different degrees of federal representation and local autonomy to Washingtonians. View the links below to find out about organizations involved in DC voting rights and statehood issues.
Note: Some of the links above will remove you from the DC.Gov website. DC government is not responsible for the information provided on these external sites.