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Tx4obama

(36,974 posts)
Fri Jul 6, 2012, 02:33 AM Jul 2012

A brain fart


Okay, before I get to the nuts and bolts of this OP I'd like to say that perhaps once or twice a month I stay up rather late sipping on rum and coke, on the backyard patio, while perusing the internet. Tonight is one of those nights but it is not exactly late yet and I have not yet sipped very much rum and coke

So, I 'started' to read an article District of Columbia’s Demographics Change, but Democratic Voting Doesn’t and then I thought: "Why are they voting? Hmm they don't get to have Senators and Representatives that represent them. When they vote in a presidential election what 'state' do their votes count in? Do they count?" Of course if I had read to the end of the article at the time I would have found part of the answers to my questions. But as most of us know even when drinking a small amount of rum it can fog your brain and get ya to start clicking over the place to other websites to find answers.

Anyway, YES there are votes in the District of Columbia that do count.

For the folks that do not know or may have forgotten:

The District is not a part of any U.S. state.

A locally elected mayor and 13-member city council have governed the District since 1973; however, the Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. D.C. residents therefore have less self-governance than residents of U.S. states. The District has a non-voting, at-large Congressional delegate, but no senators. The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961, grants the District three electoral votes in presidential elections.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_D.C.



And as far as Congress goes:


-snip-
Both longtime and new Washingtonians share unhappiness over the district’s lack of a voting member of Congress, said Ms. Norton, who can serve on committees and speak on the House floor but cannot vote on legislation. Efforts to give Washington’s representative voting rights in Congress have come close to success, but have so far failed. More than 600,000 Washingtonians are still taxed without representation, or at least without voting representation.
-snip-
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/district-of-columbias-demographics-change-but-democratic-voting-doesnt/


I must admit I knew that! But had a big brain fart tonight




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A brain fart (Original Post) Tx4obama Jul 2012 OP
Skip the Coke. It causes gas. Skip the Koch. It fracks for gas. OffWithTheirHeads Jul 2012 #1
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