Larry Ottinger’s new Maryland license plate.

President Obama might not want to put a “Taxation Without Representation” license plate on the presidential limo, but if one committed voting rights advocate gets his way, it might not matter.

Today on WTOP’s Politics Program with Mark Plotkin, Maryland resident Larry Ottinger described an initiative he’s spearheading to find a resident in each of the 50 states who is willing to purchase a personalized license plate bearing the message, “DC Vote.” Ottinger recently procured a personalized tag himself, and is hoping to get the 49 remaining plates by the November 2010 election.

In a press release put out by DC Vote on the initiative, Ottinger stated, “For those of us who live in Maryland and Virginia, we have a special relationship and a special obligation to make the promise of democracy real for our D.C. neighbors and colleagues. We reap immeasurable benefits from being a part of the national capital region. Our employment, transportation, housing, recreational and environmental fates are inextricably linked.”

During the show, I suggested to Ottinger that beyond getting a Virginia resident to sport a personalized plate, he could try and get a pro-voting rights commemorative license plate instead. As Virginia’s 180 different license plates prove, the commonwealth is all about using your car to tell everyone what you love or of what group you’re a member. All it takes is someone to propose the design and gather 350 prepaid applications before going to the General Assembly and DMV for approval.