Name: Elinor Hart 

Occupation: Writer and Video Producer 

Hometown: Washington, DC 

Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC? 

I’ve lived in DC for over 40 years — in Mt. Pleasant, which is in Northwest Washington — it’s near the zoo. I’ve been active in Statehood since 2009, and even before that, I was active in the League of Women Voters. I’ve done a fair amount of work for civil rights organizations in my writing and in my video production. 

Why did you decide to move to DC? 

I was living in Montgomery County [MD] and I decided I was a city person and I wanted to live in a city. 

What do you love most about living in DC? 

Well, it’s home. I think I like that there are many communities — I mean, there’s the Statehood community; there’s the affordable housing community, so you can connect with people who share your interests.

 

Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states? 

When I lived in Montgomery County, I participated in elections for representatives and senators, and of course, I can’t do that now. I even participated in some campaigns for representatives and senators, and that’s something I cannot do now. It’s not only that, it’s that I have no voice in the issues — the increasingly important issues that [Congress] handles. 

I think the thing that I once looked at — and this was back in the 90s — Congress was having a debate over the DC budget and what DC should do about this and that, and I thought ‘my god why are they talking about what should happen where I live when I have no right’ — I mean who could care about what I think about where they live? I just thought it was so unfair, and so insulting. 

What does achieving statehood mean for you? 

It means I will have the rights that the people in the 50 states have. And I think it means that I can elect people to the national legislature — that we’ll have a voice, and I will therefore have a voice. 

What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood? 

I think we need to elect more Democrats to Congress — I think that’s the way we’ll get it done. 

Is there anything else you would like to say? 

If we [can] elect members of Congress, it will make the congress more progressive. We also need more urban people in the U.S. Congress.