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District voting rights advocates lobby on the Hill |
Article: District voting rights advocates lobby on the Hill
Michael Neibauer, The Examiner, Friday, February 16, 2007
Summary: Hundreds of advocates for DC voting rights took to Capitol Hill yesterday to lobby Congress for a vote in the House of Representatives. Congress Day 2007, organized by DC Vote, kicked off with a rally at the Cannon House Office Building and ended with a meeting between nonvoting Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Mayor Adrian Fenty, Council Chair Vincent Gray, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In between, activists visited congressional offices to lobby for the DC Fair and Equal Voting Rights Act, which would expand the House by two seats, with one going to the District and the other to Utah. Hundreds of people, including councilmembers and students from area universities, visited 200+ offices, passing along information about the legislation to congressional staff. Aides are critical to the lobbying effort because the staff write memos and decide what's on the agenda. Norton said Pelosi was committed to bringing the bipartisan bill -- which opponents consider unconstitutional -- to the floor for a vote. Fenty described the meeting as "very positive," though the speaker said the bill needs minor tweaks and didn't commit to a date for a floor debate. Fenty and DC Vote planned an April 16 march on Capitol Hill to coincide with the DC Emancipation Day.
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