DC Vote Reacts to Biden Speech in Philadelphia: “The Movement to Protect and Expand Voting Rights Must Include DC Statehood”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 13, 2021

PRESS CONTACT:
Devon Cruz
[email protected]

WASHINGTON—Today, after President Biden traveled to Philadelphia to deliver a speech on the importance of protecting and expanding voting rights, DC Vote responded to the President’s decision to entirely omit DC Statehood from his speech. As a leading Statehood organization in the District, DC Vote released the following statement: 

“As President Biden highlighted the importance of voting rights while speaking in Philadelphia today, his remarks did not encompass the entirety of the work that needs to be done to ensure that all Americans have equal access to the ballot box—not to mention representation. His remarks failed to recognize the plight of the more than 700,000 Americans that live in Washington, DC without full representation in Congress. In that regard, he let us down.

After months of voicing his own support for Washington DC’s admission as the 51st state, with record support in the House and Senate, majority support among Americans across the country, and countless coalition supporters, there’s never been a clearer moment to pass DC Statehood. 

In his speech, President Biden called efforts to restrict voting access and equal representation “an assault on democracy. An assault on liberty. An assault on who we are as Americans.” Well Mr. President, those of us living in DC have been living under this assault for far too long. It’s time we see some equity too. 

As the White House and Congressional Democrats ramp up efforts to pass bills like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For The People Act, we look forward to seeing their commitment to voting rights extend to our cause, and implore them to ramp up efforts to pass the Washington DC Admission Act.“

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