A Real Plan for DC Voting Rights and Home Rule

  • We believe that residents of the District of Columbia should have voting rights in the US Senate and House of Representatives equal to those of all other Americans.
  • We support Maryland-based solutions that provide full voting rights in the House and Senate and real home-rule for the residents of the District of Columbia.
  • Our two-part plan calls for Congress to restore the right of DC residents to vote as part of the Maryland electorate for congressional representation, and to support Washington becoming a new home-rule city in Maryland.

FAQ - Interesting Facts about Washington, DC

DC Demographics

  • The people of the District of Columbia are on average wealthier, more highly educated, and more Democratic than Marylanders.
  • Los Angeles County has a population greater than 42 states. There are 14 other California counties with a population larger than the District of Columbia. None of these counties have their own Senators because Senators come from States, not counties.
  • If the District of Columbia became a home-rule city in the State of Maryland, it would be the fifth largest jurisdiction in Maryland.
  • The smallest state has a land mass more than 17 times that of the District of Columbia.
Source: 2007 Census Bureau data

Income

Per capita income
  • National Average – $34,600
  • Maryland – $41,800 (5th highest state)
  • District of Columbia – $55,000 (higher than all 50 states)

Education

Percentage of population with a college degree
  • National Average – 24%
  • Maryland – 31% (4th highest state)
  • District of Columbia – 39% (higher than all 50 states)

Politics

Democratic Party Registration
  • National Average – 43%
  • Maryland – 55% (1,718,600 voters)
  • District of Columbia – 74% (279,000 voters)

Voter Registration

DC voter registration by party
  • Total voters – 377,000
  • Democratic – 279,000 (74%)
  • Republican – 28,500 (8%)
  • Statehood Green – 4,500 (1%)
  • No Affiliation / Other – 65,000 (17%)

Population

  • Los Angeles County – 9,979,000
  • State of Maryland – 5,616,000
  • Montgomery County – 931,000
  • Prince George’s County – 829,000
  • Baltimore County – 789,000
  • Baltimore City – 637,000
  • District of Columbia – 588,000

Geography

  • Rhode Island (smallest state) – 1045 square miles
  • District of Columbia – 61 square miles

Did You Know?

  • DC residents are the only Americans who pay federal income tax but lack any representation in the US Senate and have only a non-voting delegate in the House of Representative?
  • The city of Washington used to be a part of the State of Maryland and its residents voted in Maryland’s federal elections, even after the District was formed?
  • The people of the District of Columbia are on average wealthier, more highly educated, and more Democratic then Marylanders?
  • That the District of Columbia is the only national capital among democratic nations of the world whose citizens have no voting representation in the national legislature?
  • That District residents pay more federal income taxes per capita than the residents of all fifty states?
  • That more District residents, per capita, have fought in U.S. wars than the residents of any state, even though they have no vote in the U.S. Congress which declares those wars?
  • That the District of Columbia is the only jurisdiction in the United States that cannot spend any of its own local tax dollars without specific approval from the U.S. Congress, in which District residents have no voting representation?
  • Two hundred years ago the District of Columbia was created on land ceded by the states of Virginia and Maryland. The Virginia portion was returned to that state in 1846. It is now time that the remainder of the District be reunited with Maryland.