Voting Rights Activists Arrested At White House, Demand Biden Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 5, 2021

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

“The 700,000 residents of Washington, DC have never had full self-determination nor full representation. We at DC Vote praise the efforts of People for the American Way, Black Voters Matter, the League of Women Voters, Faithful Democracy, and the Declaration for American Democracy in today’s protest and subsequent arrest demanding voting rights for everyone – now. The Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and DC Statehood are all important pieces of legislation that, when passed together, will provide a transformative step forward. In order to ensure full democracy for all and to move us toward a better and more secure future, President Biden must increase his calls on Congress to pass all three bills as soon as possible.” 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 30, 2021

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Patrice Snow, Communications Director for DC Vote, issued the following statement on yesterday’s defeat of a House bill that would have allowed the District of Columbia government to increase the pay of the Chief Financial Officer:

“H.R. 1204 would have allowed congressional interference to be taken out of the process of recruiting and retaining a quality Chief Financial Officer for the District of Columbia, a position that is funded with local taxpayer money. The bill’s primary goal was to allow local officials to make decisions on increasing the pay package for the district’s CFO in order to compete with both the private and public sectors. Yet again, members of Congress felt they knew what was best for the district and voted the legislation down yesterday,” Snow said.

“Congressional interference on issues like D.C. government employee salaries is unnecessary, unreliable, and goes against the self-determination of the 700,000 taxpaying residents of the district. Congress doesn’t dictate to the Governors of Arizona or Maine what to pay their employees so why should D.C. be subjected to such rules? H.R. 1204 would have not only allowed the DC government to help control it’s financial operations but was a bill moving the district closer to Statehood. Yesterday’s action on the House floor proved why D.C. and it’s government needs full autonomy without congressional meddling over its own affairs which can only happen through Statehood,” Snow finished.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 17, 2021

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Will Soltero
[email protected]

On September 18th, the “Justice for J6” right-wing rally will descend on the District of Columbia. Capitol Police and law enforcement are anticipating unrest and potential violence. Once again, DC residents will see their neighborhoods taken over by outside extremists, stoked by the same politicians who refuse to give Washingtonians a voice in Congress. Ahead of tomorrow’s rally, DC Vote Communications Director Patrice Snow issued the following statement:

“On January 6th, the nation watched in horror as a violent mob of extremists descended on our community in DC. This Saturday, law enforcement again anticipates a threat from yet another far-right rally—one stoked by some of the same extremist politicians who block representation for DC in Congress,” said Snow. 

“This Saturday, DC residents will once again see our communities hijacked by outside extremists—all while still lacking full control of local resources, such as the National Guard, to address the potential threat. To ignore the pressing need for DC Statehood is more than just to ignore voting rights and representation for 700,000 Americans, it’s to ignore a critical step for public safety,” Snow continued.

“Living in our nation’s capital cannot come at the expense of our rights and freedoms as Americans—that includes the right to representation just as much as it does the right to feel safe in our own communities,” said Snow. “As yet another extremist rally takes place in our streets, it’s more important than ever for the Senate to make DC our 51st state, and finally ensure Washingtonians have the representation we deserve. 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 28, 2021

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Will Soltero
[email protected]

WASHINGTON – Today, the March On for Washington and Voting Rights is taking place in cities across America. DC Vote’s Communications Director Patrice Snow released the following statement:

“On August 28, 1963 over 250,000 Americans traveled in buses, planes, and cars to the National Mall in Washington, DC. Dressed in their ‘Sunday finest,’ they were determined that America stop defaulting on its promissory note of the freedom to vote to some of its citizens by marching to the steps of the memorial honoring President Abraham Lincoln, one of the presidents who eliminated barriers to freedom and voting. Today, on the anniversary of that original March on Washington, the proverbial children and grandchildren of the original marchers take to the streets once again in the name of voting rights. Not only do we applaud the March On for Washington and Voting Rights in asking Congress to finally cash the check of full democracy for all Americans—we join them.”

Snow continued, “A country where citizens are taxed without a say in their government is not a healthy democracy. As today’s march will remind all of us, whether in our nation’s capital or anywhere across the United States, DC Statehood is key to advancing the freedom to vote for everyone. We are proud to stand with March On, 51 for 51 and our partners in calling on Congress to act.”

“All those years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King stood at the Lincoln Memorial and called for not only civil rights, voting rights, and racial equality, but the need for jobs for everyone that paid a decent wage. All these goals can be reached with Statehood for DC and it’s in this spirit that we will continue to fight for the rights and representation—for DC residents and for all Americans,” Snow finished.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 24, 2021

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Will Soltero
[email protected]

WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, sending it onto the Senate. In response, DC Vote’s Communications Director Patrice Snow released the following statement:

“This year, we’ve seen state legislatures across the country attempt to decimate voting rights. In passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Congress today took a key step toward fulfilling the promise of democracy for all Americans—and DC residents should be no exception,” said Snow.

“The true advancement of voting rights must come hand-in-hand with a guarantee of voting representation for the District of Columbia. Upon return from their recess in September, the Senate must give immediate consideration to three bills: The For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the Washington D.C. Admission Act.”

Snow continued, “DC cannot be left behind while Congress advances democracy for all Americans. Calls to advance voting rights while negating the circumstances faced by Washingtonians just aren’t good enough. Despite what some lawmakers may say, yard signs are not a valid substitute for voting representation in Congress—they’ll never be a valid substitute for Statehood.”

“Nearly 30 years ago, John Lewis himself said that ‘It is not right that there is still an America where there is still some taxation without representation.’ As we honor Rep. Lewis’ remarkable legacy with an act that bears his name, let’s honor those words, as well and pass DC Statehood,” Snow finished.

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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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