Monday, November 22, 2010

Amendment 23: Presidential Vote for District of Columbia

"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.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

This amendment gives the Washington D.C. the right to three electors in Presidential elections.  Washington D.C. can only have the same number of electors as the minimum held by any state in the United States.  Currently, the smallest number of electors is for Rhode Island and they have three, giving Washington D.C. three votes.



The above photograph is an example of a sign a resident of Washington D.C. might hold before the twenty-second amendment was passed.  Being a citizen of the United States should guarantee that all votes are counted, despite which area you reside in.

Although Washington D.C. made progress with the twenty-second amendment by receiving three electoral votes for president, D.C. still does not have representation in the Senate.  Currently, there are plans to change this so the District of Columbia has a seat and a vote.

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