by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a The Constitution provides that each state receives presidential electors equal to the combined number of seats it has in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. 1. Ratified March 29, 1961. Washington Post, August 23, 1978, 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution, process that allows the Constitution to be amended, unsuccessful proposed constitutional amendment, District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, 1984 landslide re-election of President Reagan. [13] These officials were empowered to pass laws and enact administrative policies for the district, though Congress retained veto power if they chose to intervene. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. The government of the city of Washington and the District of Columbia has been dominated by Congress for most of the district's history. Only 28% of the district was African-American according to the 1940 census, and the black population was young compared to other residents, making the voting electorate even smaller due to the voting age of 21. The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the Get the National Constitution Center’s weekly roundup of constitutional news and debate. (2000). This was adopted in the House without amendment, by voice vote, on June 14, 1960. Under the amendment the number of the district's electors cannot exceed that of the state with the smallest population. Amendment supporters ran an effective ratification campaign, mobilizing persons in almost every state to press for its approval. The Twenty-third Amendment (Amendment XXIII) to the United States Constitution extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. On August 22, 1978, Congress submitted the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment to the states for ratification. The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the Section 2. District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed
Section 1. By 1960, when the District of Columbia had a bigger population than 13 of the 50 states, Congress proposed the Twenty-Third Amendment giving the District of Columbia three electoral votes in presidential elections – the same number as the smallest states, whose entitlement is calculated by adding their two senators to their single representative in the House. African Americans voted in greater numbers than they had in the 1940s and 1950s with the clearing away of restrictions on the vote, and their share of the district electorate increased - according to the 1970 census, 71% of the federal district was black, a dramatic jump. by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a The governor's appointive authority would have been limited to 60 days, and the appointee would have served until a successor was elected in a special election. The district's electoral votes have yet to prove decisive in a presidential election. Later, a constitutional amendment that would have given residents the right to vote for congressional representatives was proposed, but it failed to win ratification. Teach the Constitution in your classroom with nonpartisan resources including videos, lesson plans, podcasts, and more. Find out about upcoming programs, exhibits, and educational initiatives on the National Constitution Center’s website. While perceived as politically neutral and only somewhat liberal-leaning at the time of passage in 1961, the district swung dramatically toward the Democratic Party in the years after passage. All the officials, including a legislative assembly, were appointed by the president. The 23rd Amendment implements a statute in which the least populated state to be restricted to 3 representatives present in the Electoral College proceedings 23rd Amendment Facts Washington D.C. – both the district, as well as the residents – is absent of Congressional representation The Twenty-Third Amendment is clearly the proverbial “camel’s nose in the tent,” with the tent being statehood for the District of Columbia. Passed by Congress June 16, 1960. The House Judiciary Committee, after setting aside the anti-poll tax and House emergency appointment provisions of SJR–39, sent its own proposal, House Joint Resolution–757, devoted solely to presidential electors for the District of Columbia, to the House floor for consideration. 1961 The 23rd Amendment to the Constitution is ratified. On March 29, 1961, the U.S. Congress passed the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution. [18], Article of amendment to the U.S. Constitution, enumerating the right of residents of Washington, D.C. to vote in U.S. presidential elections, "D.C.: Chasing Full Voting Rights Since 1801," Auerbach, Stuart. The other, offered by Florida Democrat Spessard Holland, would eliminate the poll tax or other property qualification as a prerequisite for voting in federal elections. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to accept land from the states and administer it as the seat of national government. "[3] In the early existence of the District, it was too small and rural to merit a hypothetical seat in the House of Representatives anyway, with fewer than 30,000 inhabitants. The amendment rectified an omission in the Constitution that prevented residents of the District of Columbia from voting in presidential elections.

Many citizens of the district favor statehood or further constitutional amendments to address these issues. One added provision, proposed by New York Republican Kenneth Keating, would grant the District of Columbia electoral votes in national elections and non-voting delegate(s) to the House. Check out our classroom resources organized by each article or amendment, and by key constitutional questions. The ratification of the amendment made the district the only entity other than the states to have any representation in the Electoral College. constitutional amendment is to provide the citizens of the District of Columbia with appropriate rights of voting in national elections for President and Vice President of the United States. The Twenty-third Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: Section 1. The main reference to the federal district is in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution which gives Congress the power "To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States. The Twenty-third Amendment gave district residents the right to vote for president. Section 2.

The 23rd Amendment solved the problem by giving Washington, D.C., representation in the electoral college.

Political party strength in Washington, D.C. "PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR D. C. TWENTY-THIRD AMENDMENT", "U.S. Senate: Constitution of the United States", "House Vacancies: Proposed Constitutional Amendments for Filling Them Due to National Emergencies", "THE CONSTITUTION of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION, Centennial Edition, INTERIM EDITION: ANALYSIS OF CASES DECIDED BY THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES TO JUNE 26, 2013", "84 Stat. A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a state, but in no event more than the least populous state; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the states, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors … The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: The amendment was not seen as a partisan measure, and ratification of the amendment was endorsed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and both major party candidates in the 1960 presidential election. [6] A split developed between advocates for greater power for the district after World War II. Senate Joint Resolution–39, which would eventually become the Twenty-third Amendment, was introduced in 1959 by Tennessee Democratic senator Estes Kefauver.
His proposal would provide for the emergency functioning of Congress and continuity of the legislative process by authorizing governors to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives "on any date that the total number of vacancies ... exceeds half of the authorized membership."