Working to Bring American Democracy to Americas Capital

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Representative Tom Davis Re-introduces DC FAIR Act
On May 3, 2005, U.S. Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) re-introduced the DC Fairness in Representation Act (DC FAIR Act, H.R. 2043). Davis was joined by Congressmen Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Chris Cannon (R-UT), and by former U.S. Representatives Jack Kemp (R-NY) and Susan Molinari (R-NY). DCs locally elected officials also showed their support by attending the bills introduction during an unprecedented recess that the Council took so that members could attend the bills introduction. Local officials included Mayor Anthony Williams; DC Council Chairman Linda Cropp; Councilmembers Carol Schwartz, David Catania, Phil Mendelson, Kwame Brown, Jack Evans, Vincent Orange, Vincent Gray and Marion Barry; and shadow Representative Ray Browne. This is the second bill introduced in the 109th Congress that addresses DCs denial of voting representation in Congress through simple legislation. The DC FAIR Act represents renewed momentum and a creative approach to addressing this issue. Democratic-leaning Washington, DC, would be given one voting representative in the U.S. House. In exchange, a House member would also be added to historically-Republican Utah, a state that narrowly lost getting a fourth congressional seat after the 2000 U.S. Census. A bill introduced earlier in the year by Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the No Taxation Without Representation Act of 2005 (S. 195 and H.R. 398) would give DC full congressional voting representation, including two senators. American democracy is based on a bicameral legislature, and DC Vote strongly believes that DC must have representation in the Senate as well as the House. While these bills address DCs injustice from different angles, it is clear that there is bipartisan support in Congress for DC voting rights. And, constitutional scholars and research show that Congress has the constitutional authority to grant DC voting representation in Congress through simple legislation.
Rep. Tom Davis is joined by national and local elected leaders during his May 2005 re-introduction of the DC Fairness in Representation Act (DC FAIR Act, H.R. 2043). Among more than 19,400 jurisdictions in the United States, Washington, DC, is the only one where Americans have no voting representation in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

SUMMER 2005 www.dcvote.org

DC Votes Monthly Happy Hours Bring in New Faces, Supporters and Volunteers

Councilmember Adrian Fenty and Ilir Zherka at a DC Vote Bastille Day Celebration Hosted by Gina Trippi

DC Vote Staff and Volunteers Marched in the 8th Street, SE, July 4th Parade as well as the Palisades Parade

DC Voting Rights LegislationWeb Site Extras

Do you want to know just about everything there is to know about the DC FAIR Act (H.R. 2043) and the No Taxation Without Representation Act of 2005 (S. 195 and H.R. 398)? The Legislative Materials section of DC Votes Web site has a wealth of information on these and other pieces of legislation including the bills language, current co-sponsors, media and editorial coverage related to the legislation and statements made by national opinion leaders. Visit www.dcvote.org to learn more and to get involved in ending DCs injustice.

The Student Outreach Committee is One of the Newest Ways to Volunteer at DC Vote

Actor Rip Taylor Poses with DC Vote Communications Director Kevin Kiger at the 2005 Capital Pride Parade

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Champions of Democracy: Building American Democracy in DC
On Thursday, October 20, 2005, from 6:30 to 10:00 PM at the Madison Hotel, you are invited to attend DC Votes 2005 Champions of Democracy Awards Reception. This year, we will honor two great leaders: Joe Sternlieb, Co-Founder of DC Vote & Deputy Director of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District Joslyn Williams, President of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO The Emcee for the evening is Michael Kahn, Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre in the Nations Capital and the Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division of the Juilliard School. We will have a special keynote speaker. To buy tickets or get more information on the Awards Reception, visit our Web site or contact Chris Belisle by e-mail at cbelisle@dcvote.org or by phone at 202.462.6000 x14. DC Vote would like to thank the following for their early and generous support of our Champions of Democracy Awards Reception: AARP District of Columbia Akridge Johnny Barnes Diane & Norman Bernstein Comcast of the District Douglas Development Corporation Richard & Lois England Joseph F. Horning Jenner & Block LLP Kelly Companies Eric Koenig & Amy Schwartz Lorelie S. Masters Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO Herbert Miller Nixon Peabody LLP Lovell & Jack Olender Riverdale International, Inc. Jane & Daniel Solomon Bruce Spiva & Anna Gelpern David Steinberg Tycko, Zavareei & Spiva LLP Verizon Washington, DC

SUMMER 2005 www.dcvote.org

DC Vote Volunteer Committees Take Shape & Take Action

Over the past few months, DC Vote has launched three volunteerdriven committees to help us keep momentum going for DC Voting rights: the Advocacy and Outreach Committee, the Communications Committee and the Student Outreach Committee. These committees are targeting schools, universities and students; members of Congress; and national media outlets with information on our issue and calls to action. Members of the committees work to influence opinion leaders, and they are having success. The Advocacy and Outreach Committee promotes DC Vote and DC voting rights in the Districts communities and on Capitol Hill by targeting efforts at community and civic groups, DC Vote coalition members, locally elected officials and members of Congress. The Communications Committee educates members of the media across the country to place DC Vote and DC voting rights stories, articles, editorials and letters-to-the-editor as often as possible. The committee is building relationships with editorial page editors in several targeted states to raise awareness of the issue and influence key lawmakers. The Student Outreach Committee builds awareness about DC Vote and DC voting rights among students and educators in schools, colleges and universities in the District of Columbia and across the nation. Among the committees activities is encouraging DC school officials to maintain, preserve and enhance their DC history courses and curriculum, specifically information on DC voting rights. On Tuesday, August 9, more than 30 students took part in DC Votes Student Summer Send Off. Students heading to colleges and universities around the country came together at the historic and famous Bens Chili Bowl. They learned about the DC voting rights movement and discussed ways to take the movement to their campuses. This fall, students will work to get letters and articles published in school newspapers, create relationships with on-campus organizations and get their peers from coast-to-coast involved. For more information on our volunteer committees, visit www.dcvote.org or contact Shawn Rolland by e-mail at srolland@dcvote.org or by phone at 202.462.6000 x19.

Billboards, Rallies, Parades and ConferencesDC Vote Engages the Community

DC Vote, coalition partners and supporters raise public awareness of DC voting rights in the community. Two significant banners promoting DC voting rights are now prominently displayed in the District. DC Votes 10 x 20 foot GO NATS billboard is a permanent fixture at RFK Stadium, visually linking the Washington Nationals to the issue. American City Diner owner Jeffrey Gildenhorn also hung a 12 x 24 foot billboard featuring Uncle Sam with the message, I Want You: Help Bring Democracy to Our Capital. On July 1, DC Vote and other pro-democracy groups hosted the Equal Voting Rights for DC Rally (see next page). On July 4, DC Vote marched in two paradesthe Palisades Parade in NW and the 8th Street Parade in SE. DC Vote also marched in the Capital Pride Parade in June and demonstrated at targeted Metro stops on Capitol Hill for Tax DayApril 15. Working with our coalition partners, the Greater Washington Area Association of REALTORS and the Washington, DC Association of REALTORS, DC Vote hosted a booth at the National Association of REALTORS Midyear Conference and Trade Show in May. Our coalition partner, the National Urban League, helped DC Vote host a booth at their annual conference in July in DC. July was a busy month for resolutions supporting DC voting rights. During its annual conference, the National AFL-CIO unanimously passed a resolution in support of our issue and the Board of the National League of Cities also unanimously passed a resolution in support of Rep. Tom Davis DC FAIR Act (H.R. 2043).

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Equal Voting Rights for DC Rally Builds International Support

On Friday, July 1, 2005, over 300 DC voting rights supporters came together on Freedom Plaza in downtown DC to join the Equal Voting Rights for DC rally. For the first time, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly began their annual session in Washington, DC. A series of events were successfully planned and designed to encourage the more than 300 international diplomats to adopt a resolution as part of their final declaration supporting full congressional voting rights for DC. On July 5, 2005, the 55-nation OSCE Parliamentary Assembly passed the resolution with overwhelming support. The resolution calls on the Government of the United States to give DC residents equal voting rights in Congress in order for the U.S. to fulfill its OSCE human dimension commitments. Previously in 2003, the Organization of American States (OAS) found the United States of America in violation of international law by denying the residents of Washington, DC, equal voting rights in Congress. As part of the rally, DC Vote unveiled a political art display called, Under Development: Equal Voting Rights for DC. The display featured four old-style voting booths surrounded by a chain-link fence with barbed wire and featuring bright yellow and black signs warning DC Residents Keep Out! By Order of Congress. Without full voting representation in Congress, the Americans living in Washington, DC, are still waiting for democracys construction to be complete.
Ilir Zherka Fires Up the Crowd for the Rally

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton Tells the OSCE to Support Equal Voting Rights for DC

Equal Voting Rights for DC RallyWeb Site Extras

Make sure to check out DC Votes Web site to view videos, pictures, statements, and media coverage of the Equal Voting Rights for DC rally as well as the OSCEPA Washington, DC Declaration. Youll also find a Chronology of Major Events in the International Human Rights Campaign on Behalf of Equal Rights for the People of Washington, DC and other international resolutions.

DC Vote would like to sincerely thank the following individuals and organizations for co-sponsoring the Equal Voting Rights for DC rally:
DC Votes Under Construction: Equal Voting Rights for DC Political Art Display

Worldrights and Tim Cooper, Executive Director ACLU of the National Capital Area Committee for the Capital City DC Democratic State Committee DC Democracy Fund DC for Democracy DC Peace and Economic Justice Program DC Statehood Green Party DC Young Suffragists League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition U.S. Shadow Senator Paul Strauss (DC)
DC Voting Rights Supporters Educate Visiting International Leaders on DCs Plight

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Upcoming Events
DC Vote Monthly Happy Hour Thursday, September 8 at 5:30 PM at Local 16 at 1602 U Street, NW DC Votes Student Outreach Committee Wednesday, September 14 at 6:00 PM at 1500 U Street, NW ACLU of the National Capital Areas Democracy for DC Rally Thursday, September 15 from 5:30 to 9:00 PM on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on 1st Street, NW, between Constitution Avenue & Independence Avenue DC Vote Speakers Bureau Training Saturday, September 17 from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM at the offices of Jenner & Block, LLP at 601 13th Street, NW, Suite 1200 DC Votes Advocacy and Outreach Committee Wednesday, September 21 at 6:30 PM at 1500 U Street, NW DC Votes Communications Committee Wednesday, September 28 at 6:30 PM at 1500 U Street, NW DC Votes 2005 Champions of Democracy Awards Reception: Building American Democracy in DC Thursday, October 20 from 6:30 to 10:00 PM at the Madison Hotel at 15th and M Streets, NW

SUMMER 2005 www.dcvote.org

Special Thanks & Acknowledgements

DC Vote gives special thanks to The Kelly Companies for their kind considerations and dedicated work on DC Votes publications. DC Vote also extends special thanks to the following for providing services, meeting space and assistance with our events and activities: Bar Pilar Bens Chili Bowl Caf Saint-Ex Capitol Advantage Chadwick Cipiti Studios, Inc. Clarke County, VA Common Cause Consumer Health Foundation Dan Kaufman Graphics DCTV Edelman Jenner & Block LLP Greater Washington Area Association of REALTORS League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia Madams Organ National Urban League Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington Signs by Tomorrow Trellis Fund Washington, DC Association of REALTORS

DC Vote is a 501 (c) (3) educational and advocacy organization whose mission is to secure full voting representation in Congress for the residents of the District of Columbia.

Use the enclosed envelope or visit our Web site today at www.dcvote.org to make a contribution to DC Vote.

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