Which amendment extended voting rights to DC residents for presidential elections?

• A. 24th Amendment
• B. 23rd Amendment
• C. 19th Amendment
• D. 15th Amendment

Answer: (B)

Voting rights in presidential elections are secured for a jurisdiction by giving it a say in the Electoral College. The 23rd Amendment does exactly that for Washington, D.C., by awarding DC electors equal to the number of Senators and Representatives it would have if it were a state. Since the district is allotted electors (three today), DC residents can participate in electing the president and vice president. This change is specific to presidential elections and does not grant voting representation in Congress. Ratified in 1961, it clarified DC’s role in choosing the president. The other amendments address different aspects of voting: poll taxes are banned by the 24th, women gained the vote with the 19th, and race-based disenfranchisement was prohibited by the 15th.