i live in germany so i m not so familiar with us-pilotics. so if each state send 2 senators into senate, and some representatives into the house of representatives, who are this making the people living in washington d.c.? do they have senators to elect?
and is washington d.c. a state (like illinois), or not? do you have 50 states or 51 (with d.c.) included? or do you have 50 states plus washington d.c., as a "special state"?
thanks
2007-10-30 16:14:36 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Government
Washington, DC, is technically a city. The District of Columbia is just a region. While it is commonly given its own contestant in Miss America pageants, it does not have representation in the Senate. It does however, have a non-voting member in the House of Representatives. This person is allowed to sit in on sessions and participate in debates, but has no power to vote in decisions. The Congress of the United States is given the jurisdiction over Washington, DC.
There have been attempts in the past to change the representation of Washington, DC, which include statehood, these, however, have been unsuccessful.
2007-10-30 16:22:28 · answer #1 · answered by Joy M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No Washington D.C. does not get any representatives or senators however the Twenty-third ammendment, which was ratified in 1951, states that;
"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..."
To sum this up in mordern lingo; the District of Columbia does not get any representatives or senators, but for the purposes of electing a president it gets however many votes in the electoral college as it would if it were a state. But it's number of votes cannot exceed the number any state gets, so even if its population is big enough for six votes, if one of the states only has three, then D.C. can't have more than any of the states so it only get three.
But that's only for electing the President and Vice President.
(By the way I'm pretty sure that the actual amount of electoral votes that D.C. gets is three.)
2007-10-30 23:32:28 · answer #2 · answered by literarynurd93 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they don't. Washington, D.C. is not a state. The DC stands for District of Columbia. We have only 50 states.
2007-10-30 23:19:18 · answer #3 · answered by claudiacake 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The District of Columbia and US possessions, such as Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Northern Marianas and such do have Representatives, but I don't believe that any of them have a vote. They are able to let their wishes be known through which ever group they caucus with.
The poster who made the remark about Mayor Barry will be gratified to know that Marion Barry is No longer the Mayor. Mayor Williams was recently replaced by Mayor Fenty. Fenty seems to actually be doing a good job as Mayor. He is a fairly young guy and except for his desire to outlaw the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, he seems to have his head screwed on right. The Supreme Court overturned the District's anti-gun law, so now the citizens can defend themselves.
2007-10-30 23:30:47 · answer #4 · answered by plezurgui 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. DC is not a state so they cannot elect representatives to the government. They can't own guns either. It's almost a foreign country in the USA. Lots and lots of crime too. Most of us stay away from there.
2007-10-30 23:24:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
D.C. is not (nor does it deserve to be) a state. And if you had a good look at the leftist losers who mostly inhabit D.C., you'd have to agree that it's a good think they don't have representation on the national level.
2007-10-30 23:29:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
50 states, correct. but washington DC is not a state. so no representatives/senators for DC.
note: that is where congress, the president and senators reunite also.
2007-10-30 23:26:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fifty states, and the District of Columbia which is not a state. DC has a representative and senators, but they are "shadows" and cannot vote in Congress.
2007-10-30 23:20:15 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
D.C. is not a state so has no sens.
They did however have a crack smoking democrat for a mayor.
Not once but twice.
Party of the jackass.
2007-10-30 23:18:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because it is not a state.
2007-10-30 23:28:03 · answer #10 · answered by Our Veterans Come First 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋