The District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. It has officially expired and, therefore, would have to start from square one passing through both houses of Congress again before getting ratification by the state legislatures. The United States Constitution has been amended on 18 occasions—with a total of 27 individual successful amendments—since the Constitution was completed in 1787. ... The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the...

Text of the Amendment

The full text of the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment reads:

SECTION 1. For purposes of representation in the Congress, election of the President and Vice President, and article V of this Constitution, the District constituting the seat of government of the United States shall be treated as though it were a State.

SECTION. 2. The exercise of the rights and powers conferred under this article shall be by the people of the District constituting the seat of government, and as shall be provided by the Congress.

SECTION. 3. The twenty-third article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. Amendment XXIII in the National Archives 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. ...

SECTION. 4. This article shall be inoperative, unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

History in Congress

The District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment was presented to the state legislatures for consideration by the 95th Congress in the form of House Joint Resolution No. 554, offered by California Democrat Don Edwards. Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the... Ninety-fifth United States Congress Links and spelling have to be verified. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... William Donlon Edwards, (born January 6, 1915) known as Don, is an American politician of the Democratic Party, formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives from California. ...

Representative Edwards' joint resolution was approved by the United States House of Representatives on March 2, 1978, with a vote of 289 yeas, 127 nays and 18 "not voting" (124 Congressional Record 5272-5273). It was then approved by the United States Senate on August 22, 1978, with a vote of 67 yeas, 32 nays and 1 "not voting" (124 Congressional Record 27260). And with that, the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment was offered to the state legislatures for consideration, as prescribed by Article V of the Constitution. In accordance with the United States Supreme Court's ruling in the 1921 case of Dillon v. Gloss (256 U.S. 368), Congress chose to place a seven-year deadline upon the measure's consideration by the state legislatures. The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the... Article Five of the United States Constitution describes the process whereby the Constitution may be altered. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... In 1921, the United States Supreme Court ruled, in the case of [256 U.S. 368 (1921)], that if the United States Congress—when proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States—desires to place a deadline on that particular constitutional amendments ratification, that Congress may indeed...

Ultimately, the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment failed because it was not ratified by the legislatures of at least 38 U.S. states when the August 22, 1985, deadline—specified in the text of the proposed Amendment itself (fourth and final section)—had arrived. A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states which have membership of the federation known as the United States of America (USA or U.S.). The separate state governments and the U.S. federal government share sovereignty. ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ...

Effect of the Amendment had it been ratified

Had it succeeded, the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment would have repealed the 23rd Amendment. The 23rd Amendment does not allow the District of Columbia to have more electoral votes "than the least populous State"; nor does it grant Washington, D.C. an official role in the unusual scenario of an election of a President by the House of Representatives (or that of Vice-President in the Senate). The District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, by contrast, would have granted to the District of Columbia the full voting rights of a state. Specifically, it would have given Washington, D.C. full representation in both Houses of the United States Congress in addition to full participation in the Electoral College. The proposed amendment would have also allowed the Washington D.C. City Council, the Congress, or the people of Washington D.C. (depending on how this proposed amendment would have been interpreted) to decide whether to ratify any proposed amendment to the Constitution on an equal footing as a State's legislature pursuant to Article V of the Constitution or to apply to Congress for a national convention to propose amending the Constitution. Amendment XXIII in the National Archives 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. ... ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... An electoral college is a set of electors, who are empowered as a deliberative body to elect a candidate to a particular office. ... Article Five of the United States Constitution describes the process whereby the Constitution may be altered. ... Besides the more common method, there is an option to assemble a national convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. ...

Other attempts to alter the political status of the nation's capital

In 1980, voters in the District of Columbia approved a call for a local constitutional convention to be prepared for a new state, to be called New Columbia. The product of that convention—the statehood constitution—was adopted by the city's voters in 1982. Provisions of the statehood constitution are still upheld in the electing of an unofficial "shadow" United States Senator to lobby Congress on behalf of interests of importance to Washington, D.C. Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... New Columbia is the name of the proposed U.S. state that would be created by the admission of Washington, D.C. into the United States as the 51st state according to legislation offered starting in the 98th Congress in 1983 and routinely re-introduced in succeeding Congresses. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... This article is about the political effort. ...

In 2007, the new Democratic majority in Congress announced plans to give voting representation in the House to the District. To attempt to gain bipartisan support, the bill would also give an additional seat to Utah, thus the membership of the House would be expanded by two seats. The bill - titled H.R. 1905 - passed a House vote on 2007-04-19 and is currently pending before the Senate.[1] The Bush Administration has stated that the President will be advised to veto any such bill as unconstitutional. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Response of the state legislatures

Requiring the approvals of lawmakers in at least 38 of the 50 states, the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment was ratified by the legislatures of only the following 16 states:

• New Jersey on September 11, 1978;
• Michigan on December 13, 1978;
• Ohio on December 21, 1978;
• Minnesota on March 19, 1979;
• Massachusetts on March 19, 1979;
• Connecticut on April 11, 1979;
• Wisconsin on November 1, 1979;
• Maryland on March 19, 1980;
• Hawaii on April 17, 1980;
• Oregon on July 6, 1981;
• Maine on February 16, 1983;
• West Virginia on February 23, 1983;
• Rhode Island on May 13, 1983;
• Iowa on January 19, 1984;
• Louisiana on June 24, 1984; and
• Delaware on June 28, 1984.

Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... 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Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N  - Longitude 75° 03′ W to 79° 29... is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... 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See also

• District of Columbia voting rights
• List of amendments to the United States Constitution
• List of proposed amendments to the United States Constitution
• Unsuccessful attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution
• League of Women Voters History of DC Voting Rights
• District of Columbia Vote in House of Representatives