The D.C. Council voted yesterday to move forward on a bill that lends the District's support to a movement seeking to elect the President via the popular vote. The real question is whether the movement has any real traction: D.C. is only the seventh jurisdiction to approve such legislation, joining Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Hawaii, Washington and our neighbors to the north, Maryland. Notice anything about those six states and the District? Anyone whose studied their recent electoral history will: none of those states have gone for the Republican candidate in any Presidential election since 1988, when three of them went for George H. W. Bush in his romp over Michael Dukakis. The roots of the popular vote movement are firmly rooted in logic -- yes, electing the person who wins the most votes makes some sense, and sure, it could be nice to have Presidential candidates engaged with us instead of simply banking or writing off our three electoral votes -- but we'd wager that it might struggle to gain its footing until, you know, a state who actually votes for Republicans more than every twenty years or so approves it. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Chilly and rainy, huh? So that's how nature wants to play it? Fine. You know what? We're glad that Al Gore's stupid eco-concert series isn't coming to D.C. And that MTBE leak in Frederick? We were going to provide an environmentally-minded link, but now we're thinking better of it. Your free ride is over, Mother Nature! No more PageRank-boosting blog mentions until you cut this crap out. P.G. Hospital Set To... more ›

>> Breaking news from the DCist News Desk Sofa: Anna Nicole Smith has died in Florida. Smith was reportedly found in unconscious in her Hollywood, Fla. hotel room and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Looking back, it's hard to remember all that made Smith a tabloid celeb but we're sure we'll be seeing a Law & Order "ripped from the headlines" reminding us soon. [CNN.com] more ›

TUESDAY Tired of running into the virtual junta of returned Peace Corps volunteers living in our fair city and being forced to listen to story upon story about how working in an office every day will just never be as fulfilling as digging that well in Cameroon? Then this event is not for you. Former Peace Corps volunteers read from and sign A Life Inspired: Tales of Peace Corps Service. Peace Corps, 111 20th... more ›

On Monday DCist reported on the release of a report by the Commission on Federal Election Reform, whose 87 proposed recommendations for reforming the country's electoral system did not include any mention of the District's long-standing lack of voting rights. We -- being fierce and unwavering advocates for D.C. voting rights -- were obviously a little perplexed. Report on improving elections? No recommendation on granting District residents the right to vote? Huh? more ›

The organization ReDefeatBush is sponsoring a rally at the U.S. Capitol at noon today they're calling "Defend Democracy, Support the Challenge." A variety of liberal organizations have been calling on U.S. Senators to join the Representatives who are planning to launch an official challenge to the November election results, and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer has agreed to object to the results to trigger debate. Official counting of the Electoral College votes begins at 1 p.m. today. The rally will be held at the Upper Senate Park at Constitution Avenue. more ›