Extra Republican Electoral vote in 2008?

[minionofmidas]

I wonder if D.C. would also get another Electoral Vote if Utah received one.

No. Why? (In case you're wondering, Utah isn't a random pick here. If the House be enlarged by one, the extra seat would numerically go to Utah.)

[minionofmidas]

Just for the record, more people (as of the 2000 Census and 2004 estimates) lived in the District of Columbia than Wyoming, although the has been narrowing since the 1950 census.  As of the 2000 Census, D.C. had a population of 572,059 while Wyoming had a population of 493,782.  According to 2004 estimates from the Census Bureau's web site (  ), however, Wyoming's population had grown to 506,529 while the District's population had dropped to 553,523.  Those estimates were of the population on January 10, 2004 while the official date of at least the 2000 Census and I believe every U.S. census is sometime in April, so the time from the 2000 Census to the 2004 estimates makes up about 37.5% of the time from the 2000 to 2010 Censuses.  Making the (obviously incorrect but still useful) assumption that both D.C. and Wyoming will have the same rate of population growth (negative in D.C's case) from January 2004 to April 2010 as from April 2000 to January 2004, Wyoming's resident population as of the 2010 Census will have grown to (rounded to the nearest person) 542,153 while D.C.'s population will have dropped to 523,955.  Okay, I've gone on way to long here, but, for now, there is one state with fewer people than the District of Columbia that has two U.S. Senators, one voting U.S. Representative and three electoral votes.

At the time the XXIII was passed, DC would have been entitled to four EVs if it had been a state.

[minionofmidas]

I've always wondered about the theory that DC was never supposed to have many people in it. If that's true, why was the previously existing city of Alexandria included in it? In fact, in 1820, three of the 20 largest cities in the US were in the D.C. - Washington (9th largest, a position it was once again to reach in the mid-20th century), ALexandria, and Georgetown. It was only in the period after that - down to the early 20th century - that DC's urban growth seriously lagged behind.
Washington City and the D.C. have only been coterminous since 1890.

[minionofmidas]

it wasn't created to become a state.

Now that is true of Alaska and Hawaii too, you know.

[minionofmidas]

I've always wondered about the theory that DC was never supposed to have many people in it. If that's true, why was the previously existing city of Alexandria included in it? In fact, in 1820, three of the 20 largest cities in the US were in the D.C. - Washington (9th largest, a position it was once again to reach in the mid-20th century), ALexandria, and Georgetown. It was only in the period after that - down to the early 20th century - that DC's urban growth seriously lagged behind.
Washington City and the D.C. have only been coterminous since 1890.

In 1830, 5 of the 20 largest cities were in Philadelphia. 

I know.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Still... ignoring the much larger size of the US and suburbanization for a moment, you could claim that DC was relatively larger in 1820 than it is now.

[minionofmidas]

it wasn't created to become a state.

Now that is true of Alaska and Hawaii too, you know.

They became territories, DC was created when the country was formed so it wouldn't be a state.

I'd have to look up the details, but IIRC Alaska and Hawaii were not - at least not initially - set up as normal territories like the Lower 48 before they became states.

[minionofmidas]

^ Annexation back into Maryland would be a fine plan, but what do you do if Maryland doesn't want DC?

Give all of Maryland to DC, and then use the public outcry and increased pressure to push through DC representation.