Sign the petition: Make DC the 51st state with 51 Senate votes

2020 Presidential Candidates

District of Columbia residents have been paying federal taxes without full representation in Congress for over 100 years. As one of its first orders of business in 2019, the House passed a bill to endorse statehood for the 700,000+ residents of our nation’s capital in order to grant them the same rights as other American citizens -- but Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the obstructive Senate filibuster are standing in the way.

The Senate filibuster means that a few unaccountable senators from other states can continue to deprive DC’s majority-Black and brown residents of their rights for racist and partisan reasons -- and they’ve been doing just that for decades.

DC residents already bear all the responsibilities of full U.S. citizenship -- they pay federal taxes, serve on juries and in the U.S. military, and work hard to build safe, strong communities where they live. DC’s lack of statehood also means that the laws and budgets they pass have to be approved by Congress -- where they lack voting representation.

We can’t let an outdated Senate rule get in the way of the rights DC residents deserve.

That’s why we’re fighting to make DC the 51st state with 51 votes in the Senate. If a simple majority of 51 votes in the Senate is enough to confirm a Supreme Court justice, it should be enough to make the District of Columbia the 51st state and grant full representation to its residents.

DC deserves a voice in Congress and control over their own local laws. Join us in the fight to make DC the 51st state with a simple majority in the Senate.

Participating Organizations:
51 for 51
Daily Kos
DC Vote
Demand Progress
Let America Vote
Neighbors United for Statehood
The Other 98%
People Demanding Action
Progress America
Sponsored by
Additional Sponsors

To: 2020 Presidential Candidates
From: [Your Name]

You must push to suspend the filibuster and grant DC residents the statehood -- and voting representation in Congress -- they deserve. 700,000+ residents of our nation’s capital pay federal taxes without ANY representation for themselves in Congress. The filibuster MUST get out of the way. Now is the time to make the District of Columbia the 51st state and grant full representation to its residents with a simple majority of 51 votes in the Senate.