‘No taxation without representation.’ We see this phrase in American history textbooks and plastered on license plates—and yet, this core American value doesn’t apply to nearly 1 in 10 people living in the U.S. If you include noncitizens, residents of Washington D.C., Americans living in U.S. territories and those serving time for a felony, the count totals to roughly 33 million people who are denied the right to representation despite being subject to U.S. law, paying taxes, and in some cases, even serving in the military.
Updated June 26, 2025: The above story is part of a three-part series called American myths. The series explores different values core to America and examines how the America that exists today measures up to those ideals. Listen to the full series below.
