President Clinton and D.C. Voting Rights

In the closing weeks of his presidency, President Clinton took some symbolic steps and made supportive statements in solidarity with the people of the District of Columbia in their efforts to seek full voting representation in the United States Congress.

President Clinton's Sermon to Foundry United Methodist Church

Excerpts from the President's Sermon "Reflections and Anticipations," delivered Sunday, January 7, 2001, at Foundry United Methodist Church. The President makes statements supporting "political equality" and statehood (one of the possible solutions to the voting rights problem).

...I thank you for your support for the city of Washington, for its economic and social revitalization, which I have done my best to speed. And for giving its citizens the political equality and statehood I have always believed they deserve, as my license plate shows. And will for at least a couple more weeks...

Excerpt from a White House Press Briefing, December 22, 2000, by Press Secretary Jake Siewert

Q Jake, does the President plan to attach the new license plates himself?

MR. SIEWERT: No. But since I haven't had a chance to do this on camera, the President -- we did ask Mr. Knoller and Mark Plotkin and others have asked us a couple of times to ask the President, and we finally got into see him and asked him whether he'd like these new plates, and he thought the slogan, "Taxation Without Representation," was a fine one. So he's asked the administration here to do that. And I expect they'll be on, if not today, then at the very earliest, next week.

But he's not going down to the DMV himself, nor do I think he will get out the screwdriver. But we'll make sure they're on, and at some point we'll make sure you get a chance to take a photograph of the new plates.