Fairvote and Congressman Don Beyer (D-Virginia) are holding a public hearing inside the U.S. Capitol on Friday, April 22, in the congressional hearing room at 2318 Rayburn Building. The subject is congressional gerrymandering and what can be done to limit it. The public is invited. The hearing room holds 100 people. Probably no advance reservation is required, but if you wish to attend and wish to guarantee yourself a seat, call Fairvote at 301-270-4616 and ask for Michelle. The meeting is 10 a.m. and lasts one hour.

Congressman Beyer is in his first term and represents the 8th district, adjacent to Washington, D.C.

On April 18, some New York voters who have been told that their registration records are either lost, or else show the wrong political party affiliation, filed a federal lawsuit. See this story. The case is Campanello v New York State Board of Elections, eastern district, 2:16cv-1892. According to the story, the case has a hearing at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, which is the date of the New York presidential primary.

On April 15, Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, D.C., said she will ask the city council to put a ballot measure on the November 8, 2016 ballot, asking if D.C. voters want D.C. to become a state. See this story.

The referendum might be more interesting and useful if it also asked residents about the option of ceding most of D.C. back to Maryland. When Puerto Rico has had popular votes on its future political status, the voters were given several options.