DC Vote Goes Down in the Senate

Here's some of the reaction that's coming in on the major defeat for DC Voting Rights in the Senate on Tuesday.

kkiger@dcvote.org / http://www.dcvote.org/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2007

Strong Vote Sign of Victory to Come

Washington, DC - Today, in a procedural vote on the DC House Voting Rights Act (S. 1257), a small group of Senators blocked the bill from being debated with a vote of 57 yeas - 42 neas. In order to overcome a filibuster, 60 votes are required.

While DC Vote is disappointed that these Senators are standing in the way of democracy for the nearly 600,000 tax-paying Americans living in Washington, DC, we remain encouraged that the Senate will pass this bill during this Congress. Ilir Zherka, Executive Director of DC Vote, released the following statement which may be quoted in part or in full:
"For the first time in 30 years, we secured the vote of a strong majority of Senators in favor of DC voting rights. We are outraged that a minority of Senators, led by Senators Mitch McConnell and Trent Lott, prevented the majority from voting on our bill. McConnell and Lott chose to filibuster a bill extending democracy at home at a time when they are pushing for democracy in the Iraq.
"Shame on them. Shame also on Senators Thad Cochran, John McCain and Gordon Smith, a group of Senators that did not have the courage to stand with us and against the outrageous tactics of their party leaders.
"This is the first filibuster of a voting rights bill since the era of segregation. Their opposition reminds us of a time when a minority of Senators blocked the door to democracy and freedom.
"We have not gotten this far by giving up. We have a majority of Senators who support voting rights for Americans living in Washington, DC. We will prevail in our cause because our cause is just. We will work closely with our allies in the Senate to get this bill up again in this Congress."

### Washington, DC - The DC Republican Committee made the following statement in regard to today's action on S.1257.

"Today's vote shows that we still have a lot of work ahead of us and we express deep regret on today's outcome. We would like to thank the Republican Senators Collins, Hatch, Bennett, Voinovich, Snowe, Lugar, Coleman and Specter for their efforts," stated DC Republican Committee Chairman Robert J. Kabel.

Senators Place Roadblock In the Way of Representation for DC

In response to the failure of today’s cloture vote for the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 (S. 1257), People For the American Way Public Policy Director Tanya Clay House released the following statement:

“DC residents serve in the military, they pay taxes – thousands of them actually work for the United States government, yet they have no vote in Congress. And the greatest irony is that they live in the very shadow of the Capitol Dome. It’s time to put an end to this historic injustice, and let the people of the District of Columbia send a full voting representative to Congress.

“Americans fought and died for the right to elect their own government, a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That our democracy has allowed DC residents to live without voting representation for over 200 years is a tragedy.