Making D.C. The 51st State

The Problem

Our nation’s capital is the hub of our federal government and home to some of our country’s most meaningful landmarks. It’s also a place where hundreds of thousands of people live, work, and thrive—paying federal taxes, serving on juries and in the military, and providing for their families.

With just over 700,000 residents, Washington D.C.’s population is comparable to Alaska and North Dakota, states that both have two senators and a voting House member representing their interests in Congress. But as a district, D.C. has no senators and its one representative in the House is prevented from voting.

This lack of congressional representation for D.C. residents is not a coincidence. It’s part of a centuries-long concerted effort to exclude Black people from participating in our democracy.

During post-Civil War Reconstruction, Black men in D.C. were enfranchised, and they quickly got to work organizing to pass several pieces of legislation outlawing or restricting racial discrimination in public accommodations. But D.C. residents were only able to vote in local elections until 1961, when the ratification of the 23rd Amendment granted them the right to vote in presidential elections. It took until 1970 for Congress to give D.C. one non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives. 

To this day, D.C. residents can’t fully control their own laws or budgets through the local representatives that they elect, making the majority Black and brown district a political football.

The Solution

To build a truly representative democracy, we must pass D.C. statehood.  The Washington, D.C. Admission Act in Congress would admit the district as the 51st state, naming it the “Washington, Douglass Commonwealth.” 

As a state, D.C. would have the autonomy to enact policies that reflect the wants and needs of its residents. This bill would finally give D.C. equal voting representation in the House and Senate, and control over their own laws and budgets. No longer would red state lawmakers have a chance to force their archaic positions on abortion access, gun reform, or health care onto residents who didn’t elect them.

The Path to Winning

D.C. statehood doesn’t require a constitutional amendment. Like any other bill, it can become law by making its way through Congress with a simple majority vote in each chamber and being signed by the president.

The Washington, D.C. Admission Act passed the Democratically controlled House of Representatives in 2021, but failed to gain sufficient support in the Senate. With Republican members of Congress largely opposing the measure, it is unlikely to pass while Republicans control both Congress and the White House. Make no mistake, racism and political opportunism underpin the GOP’s blockade of D.C. statehood since Black voters tend to support progressive candidates and policies. But now is the time to make sure we have every Democrat in the Senate and House on board with D.C. statehood and to educate Congressional candidates about this important democracy fight.