Eleanor Finch
The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXIII, extends the right to participate in presidential elections to the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.), the capital city of the United States. The amendment was proposed by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960, and ratified on March 29, 1961, allowing the district to appoint electors for the President and Vice President, as though it were a state. This amendment addressed the disenfranchisement of citizens residing in the District, who previously could not vote for these offices unless they were registered in one of the states.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date proposed | June 16, 1960 |
| Date ratified | March 29, 1961 |
| Purpose | To extend the right to participate in presidential elections to the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) |
| Number of electors granted to the District of Columbia | Equal to the number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but no more than the least populous State |
| Number of states required for ratification | 38 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- The 23rd Amendment grants Washington D.C. residents the right to vote in presidential elections
- The Amendment gives Washington D.C. electors in the Electoral College
- The Amendment was ratified on March 29, 1961
- The Amendment was proposed by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960
- The Amendment was endorsed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
The 23rd Amendment grants Washington D.C. residents the right to vote in presidential elections
The 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXIII, grants residents of Washington D.C. the right to vote in presidential elections. Before the Amendment was passed, citizens in the District could not vote for the President or Vice President unless they were registered to vote in one of the States.
The Amendment was proposed by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960, and ratified on March 29, 1961, when Ohio became the 38th state to approve it. The Amendment grants the District of Columbia, which is the capital city of the United States, electors in the Electoral College, as though it were a state. The District can appoint electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which it would be entitled if it were a State. However, it can never have more electors than the least populous state.
The 23rd Amendment was the result of increasing political advocacy for D.C. to have electoral power in the early to mid-20th century, particularly following the Great Depression and the Second World War. As early as 1888, some journalists and members of Congress supported a constitutional amendment to grant the district electoral votes. The Amendment was not seen as a partisan measure, and its ratification was endorsed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and both major party candidates in the 1960 presidential election.
The District of Columbia gained more political autonomy in the decades following the Twenty-third Amendment, through the Council of the District of Columbia, the governing body under the executive rule of Congress. In recent years, a movement has emerged calling for D.C. to be accepted as a state, with supporters arguing that the Twenty-third Amendment and the 1973 Home Rule Act were precedents for granting the district electoral power.
The ERA: Why It's Not in the Constitution
You may want to see also
The Amendment gives Washington D.C. electors in the Electoral College
The 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXIII, was ratified on March 29, 1961, and extends the right to participate in presidential elections to the District of Columbia, or Washington, D.C.—the capital city of the United States.
Before the 23rd Amendment, citizens residing in the District could not vote for the President and Vice President unless they were validly registered to vote in one of the states. This was because, according to the Constitution, the Electoral College grants electors only to the states, not to areas considered territories or districts. The District of Columbia is not a state, and so it was not entitled to any electors before the adoption of the 23rd Amendment.
The 23rd Amendment gives Washington D.C. electors in the Electoral College, allowing its residents to vote for the President and Vice President. The number of electors of President and Vice President is equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress that the District would be entitled to if it were a state. However, the District can never have more electors than the least populous state. These electors are in addition to those appointed by the states and are considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a state.
The 23rd Amendment was proposed by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960, and was quickly ratified as part of the Constitution. On March 29, 1961, Ohio became the thirty-eighth state to approve the Amendment, fulfilling the requirement that amendments be ratified by three-quarters of the states. Six months later, Congress enacted Public Law No. 87-389, establishing the mechanics of presidential elections in the District of Columbia. After its ratification, two more states ratified the Amendment.
In the decades following the 23rd Amendment, D.C. gained more political autonomy through the Council of the District of Columbia, the governing body that oversees the federal district under the executive rule of Congress. A movement has also emerged calling for D.C. to be accepted as a state, with supporters arguing that the 23rd Amendment and the 1973 Home Rule Act were precedents for granting the district electoral power. However, opponents argue that statehood for D.C. would give the Democratic Party an unfair advantage in elections.
The First Amendment: Its Place in the Constitution
You may want to see also
The Amendment was ratified on March 29, 1961
The 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXIII, was ratified on March 29, 1961. This amendment extends the right to participate in presidential elections to the District of Columbia, allowing its residents to vote for the President and Vice President.
Prior to the amendment, citizens in the District of Columbia, which is the capital city of the United States and the seat of its government, did not have the right to vote in presidential elections. This was because the Electoral College only granted electors to states, and the District of Columbia was not considered a state. The District's lack of voting rights meant that its residents were unable to participate in national elections and were effectively disenfranchised.
The 23rd Amendment was proposed by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960, and it quickly gained support as a non-partisan measure. It was endorsed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and both major party candidates in the 1960 presidential election. The amendment needed to be ratified by at least 38 states within seven years to become part of the Constitution. On March 29, 1961, Ohio became the 38th state to approve the amendment, fulfilling the requirement for ratification.
The amendment grants the District of Columbia electors in the Electoral College, as if it were a state. However, the number of electors cannot exceed that of the least populous state. The manner in which these electors are appointed is determined by Congress. The first presidential election in which the District of Columbia participated was in 1964, and since then, it has consistently had three members in the Electoral College.
The ratification of the 23rd Amendment was a significant step towards granting the District of Columbia a voice in presidential elections and ensuring that its residents had the right to participate in national elections. It is worth noting that the District of Columbia is still not a state, and the amendment did not change its constitutional status. However, it did provide the district with important representation in the Electoral College and gave its residents the right to participate in national elections.
The Ninth Amendment: Protecting Our Unmentioned Personal Rights
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Amendment was proposed by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960
The 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXIII, was proposed by the 86th United States Congress on June 16, 1960. The Amendment was passed by Congress and quickly ratified as part of the Constitution.
The 23rd Amendment extends the right to participate in presidential elections to the District of Columbia, the capital city of the United States. Before the Amendment, citizens residing in the District could not vote for the President or Vice President unless they were validly registered to vote in one of the states. The District is referred to in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which gives Congress the power to govern the area as the "Seat of the Government of the United States."
The Amendment grants the District electors in the Electoral College, as if it were a state, though the District can never have more electors than the least populous state. The manner in which these electors are appointed is determined by Congress. This was a significant development as, before the Amendment, the Electoral College only granted electors to the states and not to territories or districts.
The proposal and passage of the 23rd Amendment by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960, was the culmination of a long history of political advocacy for the District of Columbia to have electoral power. As early as 1888, some journalists and members of Congress favoured a constitutional amendment to grant the District electoral votes. However, such an amendment did not gain widespread support until the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1950s. The Amendment was not seen as a partisan measure and received endorsement from President Dwight D. Eisenhower and both major party candidates in the 1960 presidential election.
Suffragists' Dislike for the 15th Amendment: A Historical Perspective
You may want to see also
The Amendment was endorsed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
The 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXIII, extends the right to participate in presidential elections to the District of Columbia, or Washington, D.C.—the capital city of the United States. The Amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College, as if it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least populous state.
The Amendment was proposed by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960, and ratified by the requisite number of states on March 29, 1961. The first presidential election in which the District of Columbia participated was the election of 1964. The Amendment's ratification made the district the only entity other than the states to have any representation in the Electoral College.
The 23rd Amendment was endorsed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and both major party candidates in the 1960 presidential election, Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts. The Amendment was not seen as a partisan measure. Eisenhower's endorsement was significant as he was the President at the time, and his support, along with that of the two major party candidates, likely contributed to the Amendment's successful ratification. Eisenhower's administration also played a role in the ratification process, with the General Services Administration certifying the new Amendment after ratification.
The proposal for the 23rd Amendment arose from a combination of two separate proposals from the House of Representatives and the Senate, which aimed to give Washington, D.C. a voice in presidential elections. This followed increased calls for D.C. to have the ability to vote in presidential elections, particularly in the early to mid-20th century after the Great Depression and the Second World War. As early as 1888, some journalists and members of Congress had favoured a constitutional amendment to grant the district electoral votes, but this did not gain widespread support until the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1950s.
Amendments: How the Constitution Evolves
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The 23rd Amendment of the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXIII, extends the right to participate in presidential elections to the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.), the capital city of the United States.
Prior to the 23rd Amendment, citizens in the District of Columbia could not vote in presidential elections unless they were registered to vote in one of the states. The Amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College, allowing residents of the district to vote for President and Vice President.
The 23rd Amendment was proposed by the 86th Congress on June 16, 1960, and ratified by the requisite number of states (38) on March 29, 1961.
The District of Columbia is not a state and so was not entitled to any electors before the 23rd Amendment. This meant that the people of the district were disenfranchised in national elections, a situation that was seen as unacceptable and outside the norms of other democracies.
