District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007: Hearing Before the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, First Session, on H.R. 1433, March 14, 2007, Volume 4 |
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Common terms and phrases
109th Congress 23rd Amendment American Declaration apportionment argument Bress ceded Chairman Commission Commission's Committee concerned Congress's authority congressional district Congressional representation constitutional amendment constitutionality CONYERS Covenant create CRS Report D.C. Cir D.C. residents D.C. Voting Rights DC Vote www.dcvote.org debate decision Delegate democracy democratic Dinh dissenting District Clause District of Columbia diversity jurisdiction Eleanor Holmes Norton electoral enact entitled exclusive Legislation federal enclave federal government Framers Hepburn House of Representatives House Voting Rights human rights interpretation issue Judiciary Justice Maryland members of Congress noted opinion participate party petition Petitioners plenary plurality PREPARED STATEMENT PROFESSOR JONATHAN TURLEY proposal purposes of representation question ratified representation in Congress retroceded retrocession right to vote Rules seat of government Senate SPIVA statehood status supra Supreme Court territories Tidewater Transfer treat the District U.S. Const U.S. Constitution United Utah Viet Dinh violations voters voting representation Voting Rights Act Washington Wesberry
Popular passages
Page 24 - The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State...
Page 49 - President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State...
Page 37 - No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined.
Page 310 - Without it, not only the public authority might be insulted and its proceedings be interrupted with impunity, but a dependence of the members of the general government on the state comprehending the seat of the government, for protection in the exercise of their duty, might bring on the national councils an imputation of awe or influence, equally dishonorable to the government and dissatisfactory to the other members of the confederacy.
Page 225 - times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives.' It cannot be doubted that these comprehensive words embrace authority to provide a complete code for congressional elections, not only as to times and places, but in relation to notices, registration, supervision of voting, protection of voters, prevention of fraud and rorrnpt practices, counting of votes, duties of inspectors and canvassers, and making and publication of election returns...
Page 318 - We hold that, as a basic constitutional standard, the Equal Protection Clause requires that the seats in both houses of a bicameral state legislature must be apportioned on a population basis. Simply stated, an individual's right to vote for state legislators is unconstitutionally impaired when its weight is in a substantial fashion diluted when compared with votes of citizens living in other parts of the State.
Page 196 - ... expression of the will of the voters; and c) to have access, under general conditions of equality, to the public service of his country. 2. The law may regulate the exercise of the rights and opportunities referred to in the preceding paragraph only on the basis of age, nationality, residence, language, education, civil and mental capacity, or sentencing by a competent court in criminal proceedings.
Page 32 - Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
Page 70 - ... occupation, whatever their income, and wherever their home may be in that geographical unit. This is required by the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The concept of "we the people" under the Constitution visualizes no preferred class of voters but equality among those who meet the basic qualifications.
Page 70 - We do not believe that the Framers of the Constitution intended to permit the same vote-diluting discrimination to be accomplished through the device of districts containing widely varied numbers of inhabitants. To say that a vote is worth more in one district than in another would not only run counter to our fundamental ideas of democratic government, it would cast aside the principle of a House of Representatives elected "by the People," a principle tenaciously fought for and established at the...