DC Voting Rights
UPDATE: Voter ID likely off the table for Wisconsin recall
Thu, 08/23/2012 - 9:08am — Amelia
Wisconsin's Attorney General is now asking the state Supreme Court to reinstate the law so that it will apply in November.
PFAW Foundation
Fighting the Right The Right to Vote C3 ACLU Advancement Project ALEC American Legislative Exchange Council League of Women Voters LWV NAACP Voces de la Frontera David Flanagan JB Van Hollen Lester Pines Richard Niess Scott Walker Wisconsin 112th Congress DC Voting Rights Policy Corner public policy voter ID voter suppression
GOP Platform Committee Disses DC
The Republican Party’s platform committee spent the day addressing amendments to sections of the platform draft that came up through subcommittees. It seems that the DC delegation had managed to get into the draft platform some vague language supporting improved representation. It didn’t last.
The language said that while the Party is opposed to statehood, there could be constructive alternative means of representation that should be considered. Even that was too much. James Bopp, delegate from Indiana, dripping contempt for DC, called for that to be hacked out, which it was. He said the District already has representation through its delegate and through the "Democrat Party," which is “of, by, and for the federal government.”
Watch Bopp's comments and his little victory celebration:
President Obama calls for DC budget autonomy
Mon, 02/13/2012 - 6:08pm — Jen
The budget proposal that President Obama released earlier today is the first in a series of executive and congressional actions that will fund the government in the next fiscal year. Among the thousands of pages of tables and spreadsheets are two items of note to DC democracy advocates.
The District of Columbia annually receives direct Federal payments for a number of local programs in recognition of the District's unique status as the seat of the Federal Government. These General and Special Payments are separate from and in addition to the District's local budget, which is funded through local revenues. Consistent with the principle of home rule, it is the Administration's view that the District's local budget should be authorized to take effect without a separate annual Federal appropriations bill. The Administration will work with Congress and the Mayor to pass legislation to amend the D.C. Home Rule Act to provide the District with local budget autonomy.
SEC. 817. Section 446 of the Home Rule Act (D.C. Official Code sec. 1–204.46) is amended by adding the following at the end of its fourth sentence, before the period ": Provided, That, notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, effective for fiscal year 2013, and for each succeeding fiscal year, during a period in which there is an absence of a federal appropriations act authorizing the expenditure of District of Columbia local funds, the District of Columbia may obligate and expend local funds for programs and activities at the rate set forth in the Budget Request Act adopted by the Council, or a reprogramming adopted pursuant to this section." (Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2012.)
In the absence of voting rights, budget autonomy is an important step toward enfranchising our nation's capital. DC should have control over its local revenues without having to clear that spending through Congress, and those local revenues should not be held hostage in the event of a government shutdown.
As the President himself points out, the Administration must work with Congress and the Mayor to ensure that these statements move from words to actions.
Click here for more information from DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.
PFAW
African American Ministers In Action Supports A Voice for the District of Columbia
Speaking out against several policy riders that have been passed or threatened by conservatives in Congress, Delegate Norton, DC Mayor Vincent Gray, DC Vote, and members of the civil rights community voiced their support for autonomy and the right to self-government for the people of the District of Columbia.
Condemning Extreme Social Policy Riders, PFAW Calls For DC Voting Rights
Speaking out against several policy riders that have been passed or threatened by conservatives in Congress, Delegate Norton, DC Mayor Vincent Gray, DC Vote, and members of the civil rights community voiced their support for autonomy and the right to self-government for the people of the District of Columbia.
Silencing Women, Threatening Their Rights: Attacks on Choice and Preventive Care
January 22, 2011 marked the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. This landmark ruling, along with the earlier Griswold v. Connecticut, recognized a constitutional right to privacy and protected a woman's right to make reproductive decisions based on her own life, health, and conscience. Ensuring that women are trusted to make those decisions is a cause that stills needs our support all these years later. Choice and preventive care are once again under siege in Congress.
Promoting the Right to Vote: Enfranchising Our Nation’s Capital
Nearly 600,000 Americans live in Washington, DC, and they deserve the right to representation in Congress like everyone else. We must take steps to fully enfranchise Americans living in our nation’s capital.
DC Voting Rights Act Passes in the Senate
Statement of Tanya Clay House, PFAW Public Policy Director, on the news of Senate passage of the D.C. Voting Rights Act: "This is an historic victory for DC voting rights activists, the 600,000 District residents, and all who care about democracy. I'm proud that People For could play a substantial part in helping to enfranchise the 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia. We hope District residents will not have to wait much longer for voting representation on important issues of the day."
Senators Clear Path Toward Granting Full Representation For District Residents
Following today’s 62-34 cloture vote on the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act (S. 160), a bill that would give DC a representative with full voting rights in the House, PFAW President Kathryn Kolbert released the following statement: "I'm thrilled that the Senate finally seems to be ready to pass this legislation. It's disgraceful that citizens of our nation's capital have been denied a vote on critical issues of the day from equal pay for equal work to the important economic recovery act. Today's cloture vote is an important step forward."
Voting Rights Opponent Appeals to Supreme Court
As expected, the Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One (NAMUDNO), a public utility district in Travis County, Tex., filed a direct appeal Sept. 8, 2008 with the Supreme Court from a unanimous federal district ruling that it is exempt from Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
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