Voting Rights Not Likely to Make Defense Bill

Two weeks ago, we reported that an amendment granting the District a voting seat in the House might be tacked on to a defense spending bill. Now, it doesn't look like that will happen.

Politico is reporting that Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the Senate's top appropriator, is opposed to the idea, while other Democrats fear that adding the measure would imperil the larger bill. Republicans, who are already soft on District voting rights, are strongly against adding the amendment.

This development makes it hard to imagine a scenario under which any form of D.C. voting rights legislation will be able to come to the House floor in 2009. With a number of big issues remaining before Congress and no clear means to get a clean bill through, there's little chance that we'll see the DCHVRA again this year. And in 2010, the legislation itself becomes somewhat irrelevant since the census and congressional reapportionment will grant Utah the additional seat that was originally included in the legislation as a means to attract Republican support. Barring some unforeseen development, the District appears to be heading back to square one.