United States Constitution 23rd Amendment

Amendment XXIII (1961)

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 appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment.

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

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The United States Constitution's 23rd Amendment, ratified in 1961, grants residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote in presidential elections. Before its enactment, D.C. residents were unable to participate in choosing the country's leader, despite paying federal taxes and serving in the military. The amendment thus rectified a long-standing inequality, ensuring that the capital's residents have a voice in determining the nation's governance. This pivotal amendment underscores the principles of democracy and representation that the Constitution seeks to uphold, affirming the importance of equitable enfranchisement across the United States.