Update: Scratch everything — no voting rights for D.C. this year.

We’re a step closer, yet still so far away.

As the Post reported today, Utah has played its role in helping the District get a voting seat in the House of Representatives by agreeing to a re-districting plan that would give them one more seat in Congress. Their decision to do so has been the key to pushing the D.C. Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act through Congress, especially past Republican members who would see little reason in granting Democrats a sure seat. But even with Utah’s seal of approval it seems that the legislation won’t be passed this year, and may be lost in next year’s hectic legislative calender as well. The District just can’t get a break, can it?

Scheduling might not be the last obstacle the legislation faces, though. Some local voting rights activists are similarly launching an attack on the measure, calling it a sell-out to an otherwise principled cause. Activists from the Stand Up for Democracy in D.C. started meeting with members of Congress and their staffs this week, arguing that only full congressional representation would be an adequate solution to the District’s ongoing disenfranchisement, a position echoed by the D.C. Statehood Green Party. This fight isn’t new, but this may be the first time that activists for the same cause are actually working against each other in the halls of Congress.

So what should we fear more — inaction on the Hill or each other? Will the District’s best chances for voting representation (albeit less than total) be derailed on both fronts? We hope not, but given how up and down this has all been, we’re not holding our breaths for a positive outcome.