Quest for D.C. statehood finds new friends and foes: Other states
WASHINGTON — Congress had yet to even schedule a hearing on a measure granting statehood to the District of Columbia when a panel of state lawmakers in Arizona voted in February to take a stand against D.C’s plea to become the 51st state.
From their committee room some 2,300 miles from the nation’s capital, members of Arizona’s House Government & Elections Committee weighed in on the brewing statehood debate with a resolution declaring formal opposition.
That Arizona measure — which has cleared one GOP-controlled chamber so far — is an example of how far-reaching the national debate over D.C.’s latest push for statehood has become, as the U.S. House nears votes on the question. Democrats are framing it as a voting rights issue, in a year when states are battling over access to the ballot box.
At least 13 states have introduced resolutions this year signaling a position on whether D.C. should become the 51st state. Eleven have resolutions filed in support, two in opposition, and one state has measures both supporting and opposing statehood, according to a tally by Students for D.C. Statehood.
Read more: https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/04/08/quest-for-d-c-statehood-finds-new-friends-and-foes-other-states/