Movement for Voting Rights Gains Ground, Loses Interest

Paula Gibbs, 20, a student at the University of the District of Columbia, hasn't found many who feel as strongly about representation as she does. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

Two congressional committees are scheduled this week to consider a bill giving the District its first full vote in the House, and senior Democrats hope to pass it in the House and send it to the Senate this month.

The voting rights bill would add two seats to the House, one for the heavily Democratic District; the other, an at-large seat for Republican-leaning Utah. It is scheduled to be considered Tuesday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and later in the week by the House Judiciary Committee.

Supporters see the bill as their best chance in decades of securing a congressional vote. The bill has bipartisan support and the backing of the House Democratic leadership. Its prospects in the Senate are uncertain, however, and President Bush has not said whether he would sign it.

Even as the legislation has gained momentum on Capitol Hill, many residents have remained skeptical or indifferent to the issue. Residents clearly like the idea of expanded representation in Congress: A Washington Post poll in 2002 found 86 percent supported it. But there have been few demonstrations or other signs of widespread citizen concern.

"It would be no secret to say it has not caught on in the general public in the city," said Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who, like other D.C. Council members, fully supports voting rights.

"That is the sadness of it all," Evans added. "There are many residents of the city who are unaware -- or, if aware, are not that concerned."

Activists and politicians are urging citizens to join a voting rights march on Congress on April 16, but they have found that igniting enthusiasm for the issue is a challenge.

Just ask Paula Gibbs: When the 20-year-old recently started handing out buttons reading "Taxation Without Representation" to fellow students at the University of the District of Columbia, the reaction was a collective yawn.

"They're like, 'Why are you doing this, Paula? This is so old,' " said Gibbs, who lives with her family in the District's Takoma Park neighborhood.

Activists offer varying theories for the seeming indifference. Some think the public became frustrated after decades of struggle yielded limited results. In 1978, D.C. residents were elated when Congress passed a constitutional amendment giving them voting power in the House and Senate, but their hopes were dashed when only 16 states ratified it.

Another push, in 1993, ended with the House rejecting statehood for the District. The House is expected to pass the current legislation, although an expert at the Congressional Research Service recently said the bill appeared to be unconstitutional. Other legal experts disagree.

"This is such a long-running issue. People get kind of discouraged at times. They don't know whether to come out again or not," said Grace Malakoff, president of the local branch of the League of Women Voters.