Testimony · May 1, 2026

DC Council Testimony on
Initiative 83

Why fully funding Initiative 83, the ranked choice voting and semi-open primaries measure DC voters approved, is a small budget choice with outsize consequences for self-government.

Watch the Testimony
Council Testimony · May 1, 2026 · Committee on Executive Administration and Labor
Summary

On May 1, 2026, Capital Rights Lab testified before the D.C. Council Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, urging the Council to fully fund Initiative 83 in the District budget.

The position was simple: DC cannot wait for statehood to begin building the legal and institutional structures that protect self-governance. That work starts at home, with semi-open primaries.

"We cannot credibly ask Congress and the country for the full rights and privileges of statehood when we deny our own residents the right to vote in the only elections that matter in this city." Capital Rights Lab testimony · May 1, 2026
Full Written Testimony
PDF · 2 pages · Written testimony Download PDF
More Testimony DC Council Testimony on the Federal Police Takeover →
700,000 Americans · Zero Senate Votes

Self-government starts at home.

Initiative 83 is one step. Statehood is the goal. Add your name to the petition.

Sign the Petition