What Is the Original Reason Why DC Residents Cannot Vote?

Washington D.C. is located on the Potomac River.

The District of Columbia was established on land located on the banks of the Potomac river that had at one time belonged to the states of Virginia and Maryland. It is a 10-square-mile area over which the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction. Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United states. It is a federal city that doesn't belong to any state and is run by the federal government. While residents can technically vote for a congressional representative, that representative cannot vote on the floor for bills. D.C. also has no senator. It does, however, have three votes in the electoral college.

The Beginning of Change

Congress had been run out of Philadelphia during the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 by a mob of angry soldiers who demanded payment for their services during the Revolutionary War. The mob blocked the Congress in Independence Hall and refused to allow them to leave. When Congress asked the governor of Pennsylvania to call up the militia to defend them from the violent protesters, he refused. Fearing for their lives, the Congress fled the area. After this occurred it was decided by Congress that a new seat of government needed to be established somewhere where they would be kept safe.

Compromise of 1790

During the Compromise of 1790 James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson debated over where the new national capital would be located. After some concessions they came to an agreement that the new national capital would be located in the South. George Washington chose the site on the Potomac river that would become Washington, D.C. because at the time no one occupied the area.

Residence Act

On July 16, 1790, the Residence Act was passed. It established a temporary seat of government in Philadelphia for a period of ten years and a permanent seat of the government of the United States in Washington, D.C. This act officially made Washington, D.C. the location of the capital of the United States.

Permanent Congressional Power

Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress unlimited authority to rule the District of Columbia. When this law was created the framers of the Constitution believed that the federal government needed to be able to control the area where it conducted the nation's business. At that time, they could not rely on a state government to police and run the district's day to day operations and keep it safe. In a federally run city, Congress didn't have to worry about the locals forming a mob and coming at them with torches, nor did they have to deal with governors that refused to protect them.

Organic Act of 1801

The Organic Act of 1801 organized the city into the County of Washington and the County of Alexandria. It also gave Congress control of the entire federal territory. Under this act, citizens that live in the District of Columbia are not considered residents of a state. Having their state citizenship revoked meant that they no longer had representatives in Congress and therefore had no vote in the electoral college, which determined who would become President of the United States. Today, however, they have limited presence in the House of Representatives and three votes in the electoral college.

References

• Legal Dictionary: District of Columbia
• Way Marking: History of Washington D.C.
• Washington Tribune: History
• Library of Congress: Residence Act
• Library of Congress: New Federal Capital City in the District of Columbia
• U 4 Prez: D.C. Statehood Is New Columbia the Answer to Suffrage of District Residents