Congress

Most Americans Oppose DC Statehood, Poll Says

Under current laws, D.C.'s more than 702,000 residents have electoral votes in presidential elections but no voting members in the House or Senate

Would you favor or oppose making Washington, D.C., a separate state?

A majority of Americans who responded to this question in a recent poll said the District should not become the 51st state, data released Monday says.

In a Gallup poll conducted in June, 64 percent of respondents said they opposed statehood for D.C.

Twenty-nine percent of people favored statehood, and 8 percent had no opinion.

The poll was conducted before a scheduled congressional hearing on H.R. 51, introduced by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton. The House oversight committee was set to discuss the bill on July 24, but the hearing was postponed to the fall because former special counsel Robert Mueller is now set to testify that day.

Under current laws, D.C.'s more than 702,000 residents have electoral votes in presidential elections but no voting members in the House or Senate.

In March, 234 House Democrats voted for statehood, in a move Norton called "historic." All 193 House Republicans present voted no. 

The poll conducted by phone in June included 1,018 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.

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