An Appeal for Equal Citizenship by the People of Washington, DC

We want the same rights as American citizens who live in the 50 states.

We are the 712,000+ people who live in Washington, DC, more than the population of Wyoming and Vermont and nearly equal with Alaska and North Dakota.

We have no voting representation in Congress, no rights of local self-government and no protection from key Constitutional rights such as those found in the 14th Amendment, all because we do not live in a state. Congress can override our local budget and local laws in ways that it cannot elsewhere. All DC judges, both federal and local, are federal appointees. Yet we bear the same responsibilities of citizenship, including paying federal taxes, serving on federal juries, serving in the military, and raising money from local taxpayers to pay for our government.

We have endured this injustice for over 220 years, but there is a solution.

We can make the residential and commercial areas of Washington, DC the 51st state, while preserving a smaller District of Columbia (containing the Capitol, White House, Supreme Court, National Mall and other federal properties) as the Constitution requires.

By creating the 51st state, the people who live in Washington, DC can finally enjoy the same rights that other Americans enjoy.

We can do this without a Constitutional amendment, with a simple majority vote in Congress. This is how all the states since the original 13 have been admitted to the union. It is the simplest, most straightforward way to grant DC residents the same rights as other Americans.

Legislation to create the 51st state is before both houses of Congress.

The good news is that statehood for the people of Washington, DC has more support today than it has ever had before, including the large majority of the members of Congress from neighboring Maryland and Virginia. The challenge is that to pass the legislation, we will need the support of people throughout the 50 states.

To support our effort to create the 51st State, please sign our online petition.

To find out if your members of Congress support the Washington, DC Admission Act and to learn more about our campaign, please click here.

DC residents do not have the same rights as American citizens in the 50 states.  Read more...
 
Why the Answer is the 51st State.  Read more...
 
The Path to the 51st State.  Read more...