RELEASE: New Hampshire Youth Movement Stands with Advocates for D.C. Statehood, Calls for Equal Representation and Voting Rights for D.C. Residents
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
PRESS CONTACT:
press@51for51.org
New Hampshire Youth Movement Stands with Advocates for D.C. Statehood, Calls for Equal Representation and Voting Rights for D.C. Residents
DURHAM, NH — On Tuesday, October 15, 2019, youth advocates with the 51 for 51 campaign for D.C. statehood stood with the New Hampshire Youth Movement and voiced their support for equal representation for the more than 700,000 D.C. residents and taxpayers without a vote in Congress. They also called on the remaining Democratic presidential candidates to join the 14 candidates and former candidates who have already endorsed 51 for 51’s call for bypassing the filibuster to make D.C. statehood a reality.
“We are proud to stand with the 51 for 51 campaign for D.C. statehood,” said Quincy Abramson, a field organizer with New Hampshire Youth Movement. “D.C. residents are just as much a part of this country as anyone else, serving on juries and in our armed forces. They paid more than 25 billion dollars in federal taxes last year. But they have no voting representation in Congress. Their local government often faces congressional interference in matters like their own budget. I don’t understand why my vote would matter more than Ty, Andre, and Jevian’s just because of the zip code we call home. The New Hampshire Youth Movement wants to use our place in the political process to elevate the voices of the 51 for 51 movement, because NH’s first in the nation primary gives an unjust amount of political power to a small, white state. We have seen young voters being suppressed in our state and we stand in solidarity with those fighting voter suppression everywhere.”
“Thank you all for being here and thank you to the New Hampshire Youth Movement for having us here in New Hampshire,” said Andre Glosson from the 51 for 51 campaign. “We have been traveling across the country to raise awareness about D.C. statehood and why it matters. Over 700,000 people live in D.C. and we deserve full and equal representation in Congress. From health care, to gun violence, to criminal justice reform, our voices are not being heard in the halls of Congress, despite it being right in our backyards.”
In September, Beto O’Rourke became the 14th presidential candidate to pledge support for ending the disenfranchisement of the 700,000 tax-paying residents of Washington, D.C. In addition to O’Rourke, the current and former 2020 presidential candidates who have voiced their support for the 51 for 51 campaign are:
- Senator Elizabeth Warren
- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
- Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Representative Tim Ryan
- Governor Steve Bullock
- Representative John Delaney
- Governor Jay Inslee
- Andrew Yang
- Mayor Bill de Blasio
- Governor John Hickenlooper
- Secretary Julian Castro
- Representative Eric Swalwell
- Marianne Williamson
# # #
51 for 51 is a coalition comprised of D.C.-based and national groups committed to equal representation rights for D.C.’s over 700,000 residents. The coalition of 20 progressive groups says American citizens living in the District deserve a voice in Congress and control over their own local laws.
Additional Information
Website: https://www.51for51.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/51for51