Capital residents may finally get vote in Congress

[Kadie]

Capital residents may finally get vote in Congress
POSTED: 10:13 a.m. EST, January 2, 2007


WASHINGTON (AP) -- After more than 200 years of paying taxes, fighting in the nation's wars and abiding by sometimes arbitrary acts of Congress, Washington residents are close to getting a full-fledged representative in the House.

The turning point in this long battle for enfranchisement may be an unlikely partnership with the people of Utah.

The new Democratic majority, in the first months of the new Congress, is expected to take up a bill that would increase the voting membership of the House from 435 to 437, giving new vote each to Utah, a Republican stronghold, and the District of Columbia, dominated by Democrats.

The bill is backed by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, the next chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that will be responsible for moving it.

Prospects are also good in the Senate. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who calls himself an independent Democrat, will chair the committee of jurisdiction there. Lieberman is a leading supporter of the measure, and Utah's two Republican senators have endorsed it as well.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/02/dc.vote.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[AwakeAtLast]

1. Wow, that would be an interesting development.

K & R for you!

:hi:

[Bill McBlueState]

2. that's surprising

I'm surprised that the 437th representative would be assigned specifically to Utah. I would have thought any new representatives (except for the one from DC) would be assigned under whatever process is normally used to divide the 435 current represenatives among the states.

I do think this is a worthy compromise that gives DC residents their say in the House, but it will likely give the 2008 Republican nominee an extra electoral vote. DC already has its allotment of electoral votes, but Utah will get an extra one.