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An Overview of the 23rd Amendment

An Overview of the 23rd Amendment What is the 23rd Amendment?

“Section 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 District and perform such other duties as prescribed in the twelfth article of amendment.

Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article using appropriate legislation.”

The 23rd Amendment Defined

Date Proposed

The 23rd Amendment was proposed on June 17th, 1960

Date Passed

The 23rd Amendment was passed March 29th, 1961

President of the United States

John F. Kennedy was the President of the United States during the ratification of the 23rd Amendment

Stipulations of the 23rd Amendment

The 23rd Amendment allows the residents of Washington D.C. – the District of Columbia – the right to vote for members of the Electoral College with regard to Presidential elections

Before the 23rd Amendment was passed, residents of the District of Columbia lacked representation in the Electoral College – the body of representatives elected by their respective state in order illustrate voting results in presidential elections

Subsequent to the ratification of the 23rd Amendment, Washington D.C. was granted representation in the Electoral College

The 23rd Amendment implements a statute in which the least populated state to be restricted to 3 representatives present in the Electoral College proceedings

23rd Amendment Facts

Washington D.C. – both the district, as well as the residents – is absent of Congressional representation

States Ratifying the 23rd Amendment

1. Alabama

2. Alaska

3. Arizona

4. Arkansas

5. California

6. Colorado

7. Connecticut

8. Delaware

9. Florida

10. Georgia

11. Hawaii

12. Idaho

13. Illinois

14. Indiana

15. Iowa

16. Kansas

17. Kentucky

18. Louisiana

19. Maine

20. Maryland

21. Massachusetts

22. Michigan

23. Minnesota

24. Mississippi

25. Missouri

26. Montana

27. Nebraska

28. Nevada

29. New Hampshire

30. New Jersey

31. New Mexico

32. New York

33. North Carolina

34. North Dakota

35. Ohio


36. Oklahoma

37. Oregon

38. Pennsylvania

39. Rhode Island

40. South Carolina

41. South Dakota

42. Tennessee

43. Texas

44. Utah

45. Vermont

46. Virginia

47. Washington

48. West Virginia

49. Wisconsin

50. Wyoming

States Not Participatory in the Ratification of the 23rd Amendment

1. Florida

2. Georgia

3. Kentucky

4. Louisiana

5. Mississippi

6. North Carolina

7. South Carolina

8. Texas

9. Virginia

Statutes Associated with the 23rd Amendment

Due to the fact that Wyoming is granted 3 electoral votes due to the apportionment based on the size of its population, the statute expressed in the 23rd Amendment granting only 3 electoral representatives to the least populated state – Wyoming – doubly limits Wyoming to 3 representatives.

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