4/22/21 DC Statehood -- It's Gotta Happen Sometime

Consider Washington, DC. The whole thing covers 61 square miles. The Census counted 705,000 residents in 2019, 46% Black and 46% white. Voters are 76% Democratic and 6% Republican.

For representation, DC counts on Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is not allowed to vote on legislation. People drive around DC with bumper stickers saying "Taxation without Representation." They're right.

Now, consider Wyoming. It covers 97,019 square miles. The Census counted 578,759 souls in 2019 -- 1.3% Black and 92% white. It's one of the most conservatives states in the country, with 68% voting Republican and 22% voting Democratic. I can't even imagine how many Wyomians' bumper stickers mention the 2nd Amendment.

For representation, Wyoming gets one House representative and TWO (count 'em!) Senators. In a presidential vote under today's electoral system, a Wyoming vote is worth 3.6 times the vote of a Californian. Now that's what I call representation.

DC statehood, if it had any real chance of passing in the Senate, would be practically as charged as the fight over the Missouri Compromise. That's because it would shift the balance of Republicans versus Democrats in the Capitol. Turning DC into a state would flip the balance toward fairness, and it would put Democrats in the majority.

Republicans represent a much smaller number of voters than Democrats. Gerrymandering by unscrupulous Republicans over several decades has had an impact, but by far the biggest factor is that rural states vote Republican and populous states vote Democratic. The ugly reality is that a Republican voter has more clout than a Democratic voter.

DC has been considered for statehood twice, including in a bill working through the House right now. It'll pass. Then it'll fail in the Senate. Word has it that not even all the Democratic Senators would approve it.

A 54% share of the public thinks it's a good idea, but then, unequal representation works against them.

It's a shame. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/549567-house-democrats-eye-passing-dc-statehood-bill-for-second-time?fbclid=IwAR0iE1s1cooinPJ6TRDAjHjdAW5Uhd5uyCN4sC3gjqZag2sPFV64dMaST9g