District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801

The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 (officially An Act Concerning the District of Columbia) (6th Congress, 2nd Sess., ch. 15, 2 Stat. 103, enacted 1801-02-27) is an Organic Act enacted by the United States Congress, which incorporated the District of Columbia and divided the territory into two counties: Washington County to the north and east of the Potomac River and Alexandria County to the west and south. The charters of the existing cities of Georgetown and Alexandria were left in place and no change was made to their status. The common law of both Maryland and Virginia continued to remain in force within the District.^[1] A court was established in each of the new counties.^[2]

Subsequent history

The portion of the District of Columbia ceded by Virginia was returned to that state in 1846-47.^[3] All municipalities smaller than the District of Columbia (Washington County and the cities) were abolished and merged with the District by the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871.

District voting rights

Further information: District of Columbia voting rights

Following the passage of this Act, residents of the District of Columbia were no longer considered to be residents of either Maryland or Virginia. This left District residents unable to vote for members of Congress. They have voted in Presidential elections since the adoption of the Twenty third Amendment in 1961 (which first applied in the election of 1964). District residents are represented in the House of Representatives by a non-voting delegate who may vote in committee and participate in debate, but cannot vote for final passage of a bill in the House. There have been several efforts to give the inhabitants of the District representation.^[4]

Notes

1. ^ "Statutes at Large, 6th Congress, 2nd Session". A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875. Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=002/llsl002.db&recNum=140. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
2. ^ Organic Act, Section 3.
3. ^ ch. 35, 9 Stat. 35.
4. ^ "Statement on the subject of The District of Columbia Fair and Equal Voting Rights Acts" (PDF). American Bar Association. 2006-09-14. http://www.abanet.org/poladv/letters/electionlaw/060914testimony_dcvoting.pdf. Retrieved 2008-07-10.