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The 23rd Amendment to the Constitution gives residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote in presidential elections by granting the district electors in the Electoral College, but no more than the number given to the least populous state.

1961

The year this amendment was ratified in.

What is a constitutional amendment?

A constitutional amendment alters the Constitution of the United States by striking or inserting new language. The Constitution establishes the structure, powers, and responsibilities of the federal government. It has been formally amended 27 times.

The constitutional amendment process is as follows:

Step 1

Two-thirds vote

An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures.

Step 2

Three-fourths ratification

Once proposed, the archivist of the United States submits the amendment to the states for consideration. It becomes part of the Constitution once it is ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Full text of 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 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."

When did the states ratify the 23rd Amendment?

Congress proposed this amendment on June 17, 1960. Ratification was completed on March 29, 1961, when the 38th state, Ohio, approved the amendment, with 50 states in the Union at the time. Hawaii was the first state to approve, six days after the amendment was proposed. Ohio was the last state to approve, 286 days after the amendment was proposed.

Ohio completed ratification of the 23rd Amendment.

Date of ratification by state, 23rd Amendment

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How has the 23rd Amendment shaped Supreme Court rulings?

The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review, which is the authority to declare that federal or state government actions violate the Constitution. This power shows how individual amendments can have a lasting impact on how laws are interpreted and applied.

Under judicial review, there have been zero cases where a court struck down laws as unconstitutional using the 23rd Amendment.

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USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.