Before moving to Tucson, I was a disenfranchised voter. I lived in Washington, D.C., with over 700,000 other citizens, none of whom had voting representation in Congress and all of whom paid federal taxes. This ongoing, absurd condition is inscribed with despairing resignation on the D.C. license plate: Taxation Without Representation.
Without statehood, the federal government can override the rule of law as established by D.C.’s own locally elected officials—something we saw play out during the protests in Lafayette Park, just outside of the White House.
Now is the time for full and equal representation for D.C. residents. On Friday, June 26, the House will vote on D.C. statehood. With over 220 co-sponsors of the bill, the vote is likely to pass. In the Senate, 40 co-sponsors have emerged; absent, however, are Senators McSally and, surprisingly, Sinema. I urge them to choose democracy and support this bill.
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Luke Cole
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
