Senate moves voting rights

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By Timothy Warren

The Senate passed a key preliminary vote Tuesday for the District to get full voting rights in Congress, but the legislation still faces amendments in the House and Senate that threaten to kill the decadeslong effort.

The 62-34 vote allows the Senate to formally begin discussion of the bill, bringing the District closer to receiving voting rights in Congress than it has been in 30 years.

Eight Republicans voted Tuesday in favor of the bill. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was one of two Republicans who did not vote to move the bill in a failed 2007 effort but did so this time. However, Mrs. Murkowski said she would not vote for the bill when it comes up for a final vote.

"This is a big first step toward righting a wrong that has been going on for centuries," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat. "The bill before the Senate is fair, bipartisan and long overdue."

Leaders in the District were ecstatic about clearing the hurdle that held up the bill in 2007.

"Today's vote is in a class by itself in the history of our city and our country," said Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat and the District's nonvoting House member.

The bill could be weighed down with unpopular amendments, such as reducing gun control, which would make it difficult for Senate Democrats to vote for the legislation.

"Oftentimes when we promote D.C. voting rights, we see attempts by the opposition to advance a pro-gun agenda," said Ilir Zherka, executive director of DC Vote, a D.C. voting rights advocacy group. "We are anticipating dealing with a gun amendment, and we're asking our supporters in the Senate to vote against all extraneous amendments."

However, those closest to the issue said they did not know who plans to propose such an amendment.

When similar legislation cleared the House in 2007, Republicans successfully stalled the measure for a month by trying to add language to the bill to repeal much of the District's gun ban, which has since been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.