DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FULL VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT

WHEREAS, the citizens of the District of Columbia have been denied voting representation in Congress, since 1801; and

WHEREAS, these citizens are continuously being denied the cherished American tradition of electing the government that taxes and makes decisions for them; and

WHEREAS, the District of Columbia has a greater voting age population than six states which have two Senators and at least one member in the House of Representatives; and

WHEREAS, to date, fifteen states have ratified the amendment and twenty-one must do so by August 1985:

RESOLVED, that this 68th Convention of the American Federation of Teachers make the ratification of this amendment a priority and work with the D.C. Committee for Self-Determination towards achieving the passage of this amendment; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers urges all members, locals, and state federations in those states which have not taken positive action on the amendment to assist in securing the adoption of this amendment in their respective states; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers calls upon the Congress of the United States to extend the time for passage if it appears that the requisite number of states will not have ratified this amendment by the expiration date in August 1985.