Sean Patrick Maloney: “I rise in strong support for voting rights for residents of the District of Columbia. I would note, Madam Speaker, that…”

“I rise in strong support for voting rights for residents of the District of Columbia. I would note, Madam Speaker, that this month is Women's History Month, and it took women many, many long years to gain the right to vote. It took a constitutional amendment in 1920 to give women the right to vote. But today we can vote to give the vote to the residents of the District of Columbia. I would note that it was not until 1965 that the landmark Voting Rights Act was signed into law to outlaw discriminatory practices like literacy tests and to ensure that all Americans, regardless of race, had access to the ballot. Today we have the opportunity to take another historic step in the right direction by ending the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of tax-paying Americans. The people of the District of Columbia contribute to our national economy, they fight in our wars, and it is simply wrong that they not have representation. I rise in strong support of voting rights for these residents.”