Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution

United States of America
This article is part of the series: United States Constitution
Original text of the Constitution
Preamble Articles of the Constitution I ∙ II ∙ III ∙ IV ∙ V ∙ VI ∙ VII
Amendments to the Constitution
Bill of Rights I ∙ II ∙ III ∙ IV ∙ V VI ∙ VII ∙ VIII ∙ IX ∙ X Subsequent Amendments XI ∙ XII ∙ XIII ∙ XIV ∙ XV XVI ∙ XVII ∙ XVIII ∙ XIX ∙ XX XXI ∙ XXII ∙ XXIII ∙ XXIV ∙ XXV XXVI ∙ XXVII
Other countries ·  Law Portal  view • talk • edit

Amendment XXIII was the twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution which permits the District of Columbia to choose Electors for President and Vice President. The amendment was proposed by Congress on June 17, 1960, and ratified by the states on March 29, 1961.

Contents 1 Text 2 Background 3 Proposal and ratification 4 Notes 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

Text

“

Section 1. 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 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 appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment. Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

”

Background

In 1960, the District had a greater population than thirteen of the fifty states. The District, however, did not have the power to select members of the Electoral College in Presidential elections. This problem was addressed by this amendment. The District of Columbia may now choose, in such a manner as Congress directs, as many Electors as could a state of its population, as each state chooses as many Electors as it has Senators and Representatives in Congress. The District, however, may not in any event choose more Electors than the least populous state. Since Wyoming, the least populous State (with a population of under 500,000 according to the 2000 Census) chooses only three Electors, the District of Columbia is currently limited to a maximum of three Electors. While this limit cost the District one electoral vote in Presidential elections from 1964 through 1980, when the District's population would have otherwise entitled it to four Electors, the population of the District as of the 1980 United States Census, and each United States Census since then, would have entitled it to the three Electoral votes if it were a state.

This amendment does not make the District of Columbia a state and does not grant it representation in the United States Congress. In 1978, Congress proposed an amendment that would have permitted the District of Columbia to choose Electors, Representatives, Senators, and take part in the amendment process (Article V) just like a state. However, that amendment expired by its own terms in 1985, having failed to be ratified by the required three-quarters majority of the states.

Proposal and ratification

Congress proposed the Twenty-third Amendment on June 17, 1960.^[1] The following states ratified the amendment:

1. Hawaii (June 23, 1960)
2. Massachusetts (August 22, 1960)
3. New Jersey (December 19, 1960)
4. New York (January 17, 1961)
5. California (January 19, 1961)
6. Oregon (January 27, 1961)
7. Maryland (January 30, 1961)
8. Idaho (January 31, 1961)
9. Maine (January 31, 1961)
10. Minnesota (January 31, 1961)
11. New Mexico (February 1, 1961)
12. Nevada (February 2, 1961)
13. Montana (February 6, 1961)
14. South Dakota (February 6, 1961)
15. Colorado (February 8, 1961)
16. Washington (February 9, 1961)
17. West Virginia (February 9, 1961)
18. Alaska (February 10, 1961)
19. Wyoming (February 13, 1961)
20. Delaware (February 20, 1961)
21. Utah (February 21, 1961)
22. Wisconsin (February 21, 1961)
23. Pennsylvania (February 28, 1961)
24. Indiana (March 3, 1961)
25. North Dakota (March 3, 1961)
26. Tennessee (March 6, 1961)
27. Michigan (March 8, 1961)
28. Connecticut (March 9, 1961)
29. Arizona (March 10, 1961)
30. Illinois (March 14, 1961)
31. Nebraska (March 15, 1961)
32. Vermont (March 15, 1961)
33. Iowa (March 16, 1961)
34. Missouri (March 20, 1961)
35. Oklahoma (March 21, 1961)
36. Rhode Island (March 22, 1961)
37. Kansas (March 29, 1961)
38. Ohio (March 29, 1961)

• Ratification was completed on March 29, 1961. The amendment was subsequently ratified by the following states:

1. New Hampshire (March 30, 1961, rescinded later that same day+)
2. Alabama (April 16, 2002)

The amendment was rejected by the following state:

1. Arkansas (January 24, 1961)

Notes

1. ^ Mount, Steve (Jan 2007). "Ratification of Constitutional Amendments". Retrieved on Feb 24, 2007.

References

• Constitution of the United States.
• Kilman, Johnny and George Costello (Eds). (2000). The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation.

See also

• D.C. Statehood
• District of Columbia voting rights

External links

• National Archives: 23rd Amendment
• CRS Annotated Constitution: 23rd Amendment

v • d • e United States Constitution Text (at Wikisource): Preamble and Articles · Bill of Rights · Subsequent Amendments Formation History · Articles of Confederation · Mount Vernon Conference · Annapolis Convention · Philadelphia Convention · Virginia Plan · New Jersey Plan · Connecticut Compromise · Three-fifths compromise · Signatories · Federalist Papers (list) · Massachusetts Compromise Articles Preamble · One · Two · Three · Four · Five · Six · Seven Amendments Bill of Rights · Ratified · Proposed · Unsuccessful · Conventions to propose · State ratifying conventions Clauses Appointments · Appropriations · Case or controversy · Citizenship · Commerce · Compact · Confrontation · Contract · Copyright and Patent · Due Process · Emolument · Equal Protection · Establishment · Exceptions · Ex post facto · Extradition · Free Exercise · Fugitive Slave · Full Faith and Credit · General Welfare  · Guarantee · Impeachment · Militia · Natural–born citizen · Necessary and Proper · No Religious Test · Origination · Postal · Presentment · Privileges and Immunities (Art. IV) · Privileges or Immunities (14th Amend.) · Speech or Debate · Supremacy · Suspension · Takings Clause · Taxing & Spending · Territorial · Treaty · Trial by Jury · Three-fifths · Vesting · War Powers Interpretation Theory · Concurrent powers · Congressional enforcement · Double jeopardy · Dormant Commerce Clause · Enumerated powers · Executive privilege · Incorporation of the Bill of Rights · Nondelegation · Preamble · Preemption · Separation of church and state · Separation of powers

---

No comments have been added.

Your name:
City:
Country:	USA UK India Pakistan UAE Saudi Arabia Germany Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burund Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Rep Chad Chile China Columbia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic DR Congo Denmark Djiboutil Dominica Dominican Rep Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Eq Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Grenadines Guatemala Guinea Bissau Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Neth Antilles Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Rawanda Romania Russia Sao Tome Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Africa Spain Sri Lanka St Kitts_Nevis St Lucia Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvala UAE Uganda Ukraine Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Western Samoa Yemen Yugoslavia Zaire Zambia Zimbabwe
Your comments:
Security check * (Please enter the number into adjoining box)