Congress expands suffrage in D.C. on Jan. 8, 1867

On this day in 1867, a Congress dominated by radical Republicans overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson, thereby granting voting rights to all adult male citizens of the District of Columbia.

It was the first law in U.S. history that extended the ballot to African-American men. Under the bill, every male citizen of the nation’s capital who was 21 or older became enfranchised. The exceptions were welfare or charity cases, those under guardianship, those convicted of major crimes and those who had voluntarily sheltered Confederate troops or spies during the Civil War.


The Senate overrode Johnson’s veto, which he issued Jan. 5, by a vote of 29-10, while in the House the vote was 112-38.

At the time, under a charter granted by Congress in 1802, Washington voters had the right to elect a local legislature, called a council, which could enact laws and levy taxes on real estate to pay for city services. The local government also included a mayor named by the president.

The new District law proved a precursor to nationwide enfranchisement of African-American men. In 1870, the United States ratified the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting any state from discriminating against potential male voters because of race or previous condition of servitude.

District residents have voted in presidential elections since the passage of the 23rd Amendment in 1961, which first applied in the election of 1964. A nonvoting delegate who may vote in committee and join in floor debates, but who cannot vote on bills that come before the full House, represents Washingtonians in the House.

In 1978, Congress passed the Voting Rights Amendment, giving the District full voting representation in Congress. However, the amendment died in 1985, after falling well short of adoption by the requisite 38 states.