DC voting rights effort appears doomed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Advocates of voting rights for D.C. in the House of Representatives say the Republican takeover of Congress appears to have doomed their efforts for now.

The D.C. voting rights push had momentum in 2008 after the election of President Barack Obama. But House leaders decided to pull a voting rights bill from the floor this year rather than have it coupled with a measure to weaken D.C.'s gun laws.

Now, former Congressman Tom Davis of Virginia puts the chances of voting rights getting through Congress as "zero." Davis was the lead Republican supporter of voting rights before he retired in 2008, and he says Democrats missed their best chance this year.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who sits on committees but can't vote on the House floor, is not as pessimistic as Davis. She says she's looking forward to meeting with new House Speaker John Boehner.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com