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Right To Vote Research Paper

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I am Lily Stacy, and in two years I am eligible to vote. Every citizen in America has the right to vote, and when they turn eighteen years of age they may exercise that right. However, that is not the full truth. Right now anyone living in the District of Columbia are denied full and equal representation. Citizen in DC are not represented in congress or the house of representatives, also having no say in future supreme court justices. They do not get to vote for someone to simply uphold here views and opinions. They are restricted from a right that every American is owed. No matter where you call home, an American citizen should always have their right to vote for representation. DC citizens, like everyone else, should be given that right. …show more content…

The right to vote is fundamental to American democracy, and should be upheld. DC citizens are being taxed liked any american would be, but being deprived of representation. DC has several characteristics as a state, but not treated so. According to the United States Census Bureau, DC’s population is 658,893, that is over half a million people. That population is larger than the state of Vermont and Wyoming, yet still denied representation.
Bennet Kelley is an award-winning political columnist and a practicing internet lawyer said “the District of Columbia's GDP is larger than that of New Mexico, Hawaii, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Idaho, Delaware, North Dakota, Alaska, Maine, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Rhode Island and Vermont.”. Yet they are still given no vote for representation. DC plays the role and treated in many ways as if it …show more content…

He argues that DC doesn't pay taxes, so they don deserve the right of representation. However, DC does pay taxes. Mark David Richards, PhD said “DC citizens pay "statelike," or District taxes, to the tune of $5 billion per year.”. The point of DC being undeserving because they don't pay taxes, is invalid, because they do pay taxes, five billion dollars worth. Another popular concern is that by giving representation you would be going against what the founding father had intended. According to DCwatch Article I, Section 8, clause 17 of the constitution gives the Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the District, specifically: To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District. The main argument here is that by giving citizen representation we are undermining the original intent of giving congress full power over the district. However, the truth is by giving representation congresses power would not be taken away, DC citizens would just have a say in how that power is used. Nathaniel Ward, from the Heritage foundation argues that the constitution says the “District of Columbia is not a state, and representation is limited to states alone.” However, when looked closely DC is treated as a state in countless ways. Why should something treated like a state, not

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