Voting rights of citizens in the District of Columbia differ from the rights of citizens in each of the 50 U.S. states. The Constitution grants each state voting representation in both houses of the United States Congress. As the federal capital, the District of Columbia is a special federal district, not a
state, and therefore does not have voting representation in Congress. The Constitution grants Congress exclusive jurisdiction over
the District in "all cases whatsoever".
In the House of Representatives, the District is represented by a delegate, who is not allowed to vote on the House
floor but can vote on procedural matters and in congressional committees. D.C. residents have
no representation in the Senate. The Twenty-third Amendment, adopted in 1961, entitles the District to the same number of electoral votes as that of the least populous state in the election of the President and Vice President.
The District's lack of voting representation in Congress has been an issue since the capital's founding. Numerous proposals have been introduced to change this situation, including legislation and constitutional amendments, returning the District to the state of Maryland, and making the District into a new state. All proposals have been met with political or constitutional challenges and there has been no change in the District's representation in Congress.
In D.C. (District of Criminals) all things are possible!
