Washington, D.C. — After the U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C., Will Roberts, acting vice president for Democracy and Government Reform at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Today’s vote recognizes that it’s time to end the historic disenfranchisement of the people of Washington, D.C. This measure would finally grant the roughly 700,000 residents of the nation’s capital the same voting rights and representation in Congress as every other American. And it would give the district’s government the same power as every other state – to govern its people when it comes to local decisions without interference from Congress or the president. The U.S. Senate must now pass this measure and admit Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, as the 51st state so that Washington residents can gain the full voting rights guaranteed to every American by the U.S. Constitution.
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