This week DC Vote delivered the letter below to members of the House and Senate, electronically and by mail, asking them to vote against any bill that would impose outside views on, or override local laws of, the District of Columbia. The letter is co-signed by 53 local and national organizations likewise committed to the American ideal of a representative democracy.
The full letter and list of co-signers follows:
DC Voting Rights Coalition Letter To All Members of Congress
February 15, 2011
Local Government Should Decide Local Laws
We urge you to vote against any bill that would impose Congress' views on the District of Columbia.
Just as President Barack Obama and our congressional leaders have encouraged recent efforts to expand democracy in the Middle East, we are troubled that members of our own Congress are leading the charge to interfere in DC's local democracy. Some members of the new House majority have introduced bills to re-impose bans that prevent the District of Columbia from using its own locally-raised tax dollars for reproductive health and to re-establish a federal school voucher program. Others are preparing a push for a repeal of the District's marriage equality law, syringe access program, medical marijuana and gun safety regulations.
Americans will continue to debate these issues in communities throughout this country, but what is not up for debate is who gets to decide these questions. The signatures at the bottom of this letter represent a wide range of organizations with differing positions on these and other issues facing DC. While there are a great many perspectives on the underlying issues, we are all in agreement that our locally elected leadership should decide what is best for the District of Columbia.
Americans nationwide believe that local governments should decide what is best on local issues. This ideal is the cornerstone of both the American Revolution and the modern-day "Tea Party." The new majority in the House of Representatives includes conservatives elected on a promise to roll back federal encroachment in the states. We expect conservatives to be consistent in their application of "local-rights" by letting Washingtonians manage their own affairs without interference or meddling by Congress.
As a nation, we applaud and support democratic movements throughout the globe. We call on you also to support democracy in our nation's capital by resisting all efforts to undo local laws and regulations in the District of Columbia.
Sincerely,
DC Vote
American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Washington
AFSCME District Council 20
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
The AIDS Institute - DC
AIDS United
Alliance For Justice
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689
American Humanist Association
Americans For Democratic Action
American Jewish Committee
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Anacostia Coordinating Council (ACC)
Aspirations, Baton Rouge, LA
The Campaign for All DC Families
The Caring Ambassadors Program
Chicago Recovery Alliance, Chicago, IL
DC Democratic State Committee
DC For Democracy
DC Federation of Business & Professional Women
DC Fights Back
DC Latino Action Coalition
DC Latino Caucus
DC Trans Coalition
Demos
FairVote
Gertrude Stein Democratic Club
Greater Washington Urban League
Harm Reduction Coalition
HIV Prevention Justice Alliance
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
Human Rights Campaign
Housing Works
Jews United For Justice
Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity Inc.
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of Women Voters, DC
League of Women Voters of the United States
LiverHope, Minnetonka, MN
Local Area Support For Hepatitis Inc., Redding, CA
Marijuana Policy Project
Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
NAACP
NAACP DC Branch
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Black Justice Coalition
National Council of Jewish Women
National Education Association
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
National Urban League
The Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
People For the American Way
Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
So Others Might Eat (SOME)
Treatment Action Group (TAG)
United Food and Commercial Workers
Union Local 400
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Nations Association of the National Capital Area
Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention
Services (UCHAPS)
Washington Ethical Society
Washington Teachers Union
Woman's National Democratic Club
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