Political Quotes

John Conyers: “DC residents pay federal income taxes, serve on juries and die in wars to defend American democracy, but they do not…”

On the recordMarch 22, 2007
DC residents pay federal income taxes, serve on juries and die in wars to defend American democracy, but they do not have voting representation in the Congress. This lack of representation is inconsistent with our nation's core democratic principles. Justice Hugo Black put it well in Wesberry v. Sanders in 1964: ``No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined.''
Said by
John Conyers
Democratic · Michigan
Source
govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing the voting rights of residents in Washington, DC.

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