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abumbyanyothername

(2,711 posts)
Mon Oct 22, 2012, 05:56 PM Oct 2012

The District of Columbia

I suppose that as a lawyer and a politics junkie I should know this . . . .

Or at the least, I should Google it myself . . . .

But how is it that DC gets its 3 EVs? Legislative, historical or any other explanations welcomed.

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The District of Columbia (Original Post) abumbyanyothername Oct 2012 OP
23rd consitutional amendment graham4anything Oct 2012 #1
23rd Amendment to the Constitution montanacowboy Oct 2012 #2
This is the answer. MSMITH33156 Oct 2012 #3
 

graham4anything

(11,464 posts)
1. 23rd consitutional amendment
Mon Oct 22, 2012, 05:59 PM
Oct 2012

Voting rights of citizens in the District of Columbia differ from the rights of citizens in each of the 50 U.S. states. The United States Constitution grants each state voting representation in both houses of the United States Congress. As the U.S. capital, the District of Columbia is a special federal district, not a state, and therefore does not have voting representation in the Congress. The Constitution grants the Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the District in "all cases whatsoever."

In the United States House of Representatives, the District is represented by a delegate, who is not allowed to vote on the House floor but can vote on procedural matters and in congressional committees. D.C. residents have no representation in the United States Senate. As a result of the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1961, the District is entitled to three electoral votes in the election of the President of the United States.

The District's lack of voting representation in Congress has been an issue since the capital's foundation. Numerous proposals have been introduced to change this situation including legislation and constitutional amendments, returning the District to the state of Maryland, and making the District into a new state. All proposals have been met with political or constitutional challenges and there has been no change in the District's representation in the Congress.

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