D.C. statehood is a voting rights, racial justice issue 

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (MA-5) voted to pass the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, legislation to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state. Led by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.-At Large), the bill passed by a vote of 216-208. 

“‘No taxation without representation’; Massachusetts led this call once, and now we must stand by our neighbors in Washington, D.C. Despite paying more federal taxes per capita than any state, having a larger population than two states, and being home to thousands of veterans and public servants, people who live in the District have no voting representation in Congress,” said Assistant Speaker Clark. “This is a voting rights issue, but it’s also a racial justice issue – almost half of all D.C. residents are Black. The Senate must swiftly pass this legislation and ensure that D.C. residents are able to make their voices heard in Congress.”

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