Political Action Committee

Overall, we work to ensure voter empowerment through providing awareness, training, and programmatic support to ensure registration, education, administration, and election protection. The NAACP has developed a nonpartisan campaign, the 2008 Voter Empowerment Program (VEP '08). This program is designed to empower African American and people of color by increasing awareness and participation in the electoral process.

Over the past two election cycles, we have fought a valiant battle to register African American voters and ensure that each ballot cast is counted, but our work is far from over. During these same election cycles we witnessed a surge in African American voter turnout, but we also realized the magnitude of voter suppression strategies that continues to hinder our vote. In 2008, our goal is to increase the overall African American voter turnout by 5% more than the 2002
African American turnout.

In 2004, 67.9% of whites were registered compared to 64.4% of blacks
In 2004, 60.3% of whites voted compared to 56.3% of blacks
In 2000 and 2004, the percentage of uncounted votes was higher in minority neighborhoods with high poverty

DC Voting Rights Act

The NAACP DC Branch strongly supports the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act introduced by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) and Congressman Tom Davis (VA). This bill addresses that concern and provides a "vote neutral" option by adding two additional seats most likely to be represented by a Democrat and a Republican.

Despite the fact that we pay federal taxes, serve on juries and defend our Nation in times of war like most other Americans, residents of the District of Columbia are barred from having voting representation on the floor of the U.S. House or Senate. This classic example of "taxation without representation" is contrary to everything that this nation is founded on. This means that more than half a million people, more than 57% of whom are African American (with Caucasians making up just over 30% of the population and 8.5% of the residents claiming Hispanic background), are paying money to and dying for a government in which they have no say. It also means that the federal government is receiving and spending $4 billion without having to account for it. In fact, the residents of the District of Columbia pay more federal taxes per capita than all but
one other state.

Contact:
Eugene Dewitt Kinlow
Political Action Chair
(202) 563-2131
kinlow@aol.com

NAACP Civic Engagement

DC Board of Elections

DC Vote

Black American Political Action Committee

Congressional Black Caucus

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