Norton Condemns Oversight Committee for Marking Up Anti-Home-Rule Bill that Would Overturn D.C.’s Law to Allow Noncitizens to Vote in Local D.C. Elections

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability marked up Rep. August Pfluger’s (R-TX) bill to prohibit D.C. residents who are not citizens from voting in local D.C. elections, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today vowed to do everything possible to defeat the bill. The D.C. Council passed the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 last year, which allows noncitizens to vote in local D.C. elections.

"D.C. laws are matters for the duly elected D.C. Council and mayor, not unaccountable members of Congress who do not represent D.C. residents,” Norton said. “The almost 700,000 D.C. residents are worthy and capable of governing their own local affairs. Although I am disappointed Rep. Pfluger’s bill was reported out of committee today, I vow to work to defeat this anti-home-rule bill. Despite these constant attacks on D.C. election laws, congressional Republicans have refused to do the one and only thing D.C. residents have asked them to do about elections in D.C.: to give D.C. residents voting representation in the House and Senate, as well as full control over their local affairs, by passing the D.C. statehood bill.”

Congressional Republicans have introduced 17 bills to overturn D.C. election laws so far this Congress. Last year, the D.C. Council passed the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which allows noncitizens to vote in local D.C. elections. This year, the House passed a disapproval resolution that would have nullified the legislation, but the Senate never took it up. The Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 is now law.

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