It was mid-May when we found out that a bill that would grant the District a voting seat in the U.S. House of Representatives was finally moving forward, having met with the approval of the House Government Reform Committee. Yesterday news came through that the legislation — known as the D.C. Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act — may soon overcome another obstacle, putting the District one step closer to voting representation in the U.S. Congress.

According to our friends over at D.C. Vote, House Judiciary Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) announced yesterday that the Subcommittee on the Constitution would review the legislation on September 16, 2006, a necessary step towards it being eventually considered by the full House. District voting rights activists expressed happiness with the news, given that Sensenbrenner has never been much of a fan of the proposal. Ilir Zherka, D.C. Vote’s executive director, stated:

A hearing for the DC Voting Rights Act is another great stride forward in the movement, and we are thrilled Congress is getting the message that Americans want to see progress on this bill.

Leaders of organizations, elected officials and-perhaps most importantly-everyday people have conveyed to Congress the tremendous need to give DC a vote. We commend Congress for listening to the uproar of strong national support for DC voting rights. We welcome the opportunity to amplify our voices at the hearing in September.

We’re cautiously optimistic. A hearing and a markup hardly means a vote, and even if there were a vote, they may well just vote the legislation down. But a hearing is still a chance for voting rights activists to present their cause for what it is — a principled demand for the full democratic rights of all U.S. citizens. Hopefully the members of the committee will listen.