Quote:
Originally Posted by mapuc
On H2(More to History) there's a series "How States got their shapes" Today I saw 1/3 of this episode It was about Washington DC
What catch my ears and eyes was that the habitants in that state doesn't have the right to vote.
This was new to me, I thought that every American citizens in and outside USA had the right to vote in the American Presidential or other referendum.
Markus
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They may have got it wrong, or you may have misunderstood. What the District of Columbia does not have is representation in Congress. The reason is that after having met in various locations under the Articles of Confederation, the new government under the Constitution decided they didn't want the National Capital to be in any state, so no state could have the bragging rights over all the others. Maryland and Virginia donated land to make the new Capital a giant diamond. Eventually only the northern (Maryland) side was used. Since the District is not part of any state, it doesn't have senators or congressmen.
For a long time the residents of DC could not vote for President. Originally this was because the Constitution specifies that it is the States who vote for President, not the People. The State Legislatures appointed the electors, in any manner they chose. With more and more States having their citizens voting for the electors, it was decided that the citizens of DC should not be excluded, and in 1961 the 23rd Amendment gave DC three Electoral Votes.
Citizens of the District of Columbia have a delegate to the Congress. Though he cannot vote in final lawmaking he can vote on what bills are to be admitted for consideration. They have no Senator, but they do vote for President.