What is the 23rd Amendment

• Steven Topazio wrote this October 31, 2024 at 12:06 am

The 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961, grants residents of Washington, D.C. the right to participate in presidential elections. Before the amendment, citizens living in D.C. could not vote for the president or vice president because the district is not a state.

The 23rd Amendment provides D.C. with a number of electors in the Electoral College, as though it were a state, but it cannot have more electors than the least populous state, which ensures a cap on its influence.

The twenty-third Amendment does not give D.C. full congressional representation.