Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution Totally Explained

Everything about Twenty-third Amendment To The United States Constitution totally explained

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.

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Background

In 1960, the District had a greater population than thirteen of the fifty states. The District, however, didn't 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 doesn't make the District of Columbia a state and doesn't 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. The following states ratified the amendment:

Hawaii (June 23, 1960)
Massachusetts (August 22, 1960)
New Jersey (December 19, 1960)
New York (January 17, 1961)
California (January 19, 1961)
Oregon (January 27, 1961)
Maryland (January 30, 1961)
Idaho (January 31, 1961)
Maine (January 31, 1961)
Minnesota (January 31, 1961)
New Mexico (February 1, 1961)
Nevada (February 2, 1961)
Montana (February 6, 1961)
South Dakota (February 6, 1961)
Colorado (February 8, 1961)
Washington (February 9, 1961)
West Virginia (February 9, 1961)
Alaska (February 10, 1961)
Wyoming (February 13, 1961)
Delaware (February 20, 1961)
Utah (February 21, 1961)
Wisconsin (February 21, 1961)
Pennsylvania (February 28, 1961)
Indiana (March 3, 1961)
North Dakota (March 3, 1961)
Tennessee (March 6, 1961)
Michigan (March 8, 1961)
Connecticut (March 9, 1961)
Arizona (March 10, 1961)
Illinois (March 14, 1961)
Nebraska (March 15, 1961)
Vermont (March 15, 1961)
Iowa (March 16, 1961)
Missouri (March 20, 1961)
Oklahoma (March 21, 1961)
Rhode Island (March 22, 1961)
Kansas (March 29, 1961)
Ohio (March 29, 1961)
Ratification was completed on March 29, 1961. The amendment was subsequently ratified by the following states:
New Hampshire (March 30, 1961, rescinded later that same day on March 30, 1961)
Alabama (April 16, 2002) The amendment was rejected by the following state:
Arkansas (January 24, 1961)

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