Make Washington, D.C. the 51st State – Save Our Democracy

Washington, D.C. is the only community in America where the federal government can militarize city streets without local consent. Because D.C. is not a state, the President alone controls its National Guard, and Congress can even seize command of the city’s police. That’s why in 2020, heavily armed troops, immigration agents, and federal police poured into D.C. neighborhoods against the will of the city’s leaders. And on January 6, 2021, when an insurrection struck the Capitol, D.C.’s mayor was powerless to call up the National Guard to defend her own city. This dangerous second-class status leaves D.C. residents uniquely vulnerable to authoritarian abuse.

Over 700,000 Americans live in Washington, D.C. – more than in Wyoming or Vermont – yet they have no voting representation in Congress. They pay federal taxes, serve in our military, and contribute more per capita to the U.S. Treasury than any state. But they have no senators. No vote in the House. No voice. This is taxation without representation, and it is a direct insult to American democracy.

The truth is ugly: opposition to D.C. statehood has always been tied to racism and the suppression of Black political power. For generations, Congress stripped D.C. residents of self-government precisely because the city had a large Black population. Today, the same forces trying to suppress voters across the nation stand in the way of D.C. statehood because they fear what it represents: a more diverse and inclusive democracy.

Admitting Washington, D.C. as a state would give its people two senators and one representative, finally granting them the same rights as every other American. It would strike a blow against racial disenfranchisement, expand representation, and strengthen democracy against authoritarian attacks. Most importantly, it would give D.C. the ability to control its own National Guard, police, and public safety — just like every other state — and prevent federal politicians from ever again turning its streets into a political stage.

This isn’t about partisanship. It’s about justice. It’s about equality. It’s about whether we will allow hundreds of thousands of Americans to be treated as second-class citizens in the very capital of our republic.

We demand Congress act now: Admit Washington, D.C. as the 51st state. End 200 years of disenfranchisement. Give D.C. residents control over their own safety and their own voice. Save our democracy.

✍️ Sign the petition. Stand for democracy. Stand for D.C.