Abstract

Free, White and Voteless. D. C.'s Lost Franchise

The author could not vote on Election Day. The author is not a Negro living in a Southern state. The author is neither a felon nor a minor. The author is a citizen of the District of Columbia. The author and his neighbors felt as strongly about many of the national issues raised in this campaign as any of their fellow Americans, but the author and his neighbors were barred from the ballot because they live in the U.S. capital. U.S. Congress enacts all local laws of Washington D.C., approves the tax rate and fixes the size of the annual budget of Washington D.C., and President of the U.S. appoints the District's executive officers and judges; but residents have no voice in choosing either the Congress or the President. As the author ask himself how this situation arose, he observe regretfully that not every District resident wants it changed.