D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton described Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) as the “protector of the Blue Dog” Democrats, which she says has led to further delays in the passage of the D.C. House Voting Rights Act in the House. Photo by Ghost Bear

First it was going to pass in February. Then in March. Or maybe April. Now it looks like the stalled legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives will be voted on in May. Or not.

Roll Call reported yesterday that D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is pushing for the legislation to be submitted to a full vote within the next two weeks. Without a vote by early May, Norton fears that what little momentum remains for the proposal would die and that expected court challenges would prevent the implementation of the law until 2010. Because the law would increase the size of the House by two seats — one for D.C., one for Utah — before a scheduled reapportionment of seats to coincide with the 2010 census, the voting rights legislation needs to take effect before next year.

Unfortunately, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is less optimistic about the timing. He previously stated that he thought the vote would come before the end of May, and now a spokesperson has clarified to Roll Call that it would be more likely towards the end of May.

The sticking point remains an amendment that would do away with the District’s gun laws, prevent the city from imposing any future restrictions on gun ownership and make District residents the only people in the U.S. allowed to cross state lines to purchase guns. Though the Democratic majority could submit the voting rights legislation without any amendments, the NRA has maintained its threat to score the vote — something that has left many conservative-leaning Blue Dog Democrats conflicted.

In a roundtable interview with local bloggers over the weekend, Norton hinted that she believes Hoyer has hesitated on the legislation, not wanting to give up the gun amendment for fear of what a negative NRA score would mean for the Blue Dogs. Calling Hoyer the “protector of the Blue Dogs,” Norton noted that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has wanted to scrub the amendment. Additionally, Norton has been increasingly vocal about what she perceives as the threat that the gun amendment would pose to security in Washington. Hoyer, though, is “conflicted about the Blue Dogs,” said Norton.

So what does this mean for D.C. voting rights? Much the same as usual — we’re left waiting and wanting. But unlike in the past, the 2010 deadline and continuing frustration with the current legislation has left many city officials and activists angry and looking for alternatives.