A little over a year later President Andrew Johnson would veto the final version of this legislation. What I find most interesting about this legislation is that the Senate made this bill their first piece of legislation for the 39th Congress. I would like to see how many other Congresses placed District of Columbia-specific legislation before all other national matters.

To regulate the elective franchise in the District of Columbia.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after the passage of this act, each and every male person, of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, who has not been convicted of any infamous crime or offense, and who is a citizen of the United States, and who shall have resided in the said District for the period of six months previous to any election therein, shall be entitled to the elective franchise and shall be deemed an elector and entitled to vote at any election in said District without any distinction or discrimination on account of color, race, or nationality.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That if any person or persons shall wilfully interrupt or disturb any such elector in the exercise of such franchise, he or they shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be fined any sum not to exceed one thousand dollars, or be imprisoned in the cell or dungeon of the jail in said District, and fed on bread and water, only, for a period not to exceed thirty days, or both, at the discretion of the court.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the several courts having criminal jurisdiction in said District to give this act in special charge to the grand jury at the commencement of each term of the court.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act be, and the same are hereby, repealed.

Related Suffrage Entries:

• DC Colonist Cartoon: “Court Declares State Voters Tax Exempt in D.C.” – Washington Evening Star, March 13, 1940
• DC Colonist Cartoon: “Keep Out of U.S. Elections” – Washington Star, November 5, 1940
• DC Colonist Cartoon: “Disenfranchisement" – Washington Star, November 4th, 1930
• DC Colonist Cartoon: "Election Day" - Washington Star, November 4th, 1924
• Some of Washington's Grievances - NO VOTES, YET NO GRIEVANCE? Editorial by Theodore W. Noyes, Washington Evening Star, March 10, 1888
• Senator Gallinger's Statehood Bill - Arizona Silver Belt, Globe City, December 11, 1902
• An Act to Regulate the Elective Franchise in the District of Columbia - 39th Congress, 2nd Session, Chapter 6, Stat. 375, Enacted by a Veto Override on 01/08/1867
• S.1 - A Bill to Regulate the Elective Franchise in the District of Columbia - 12/04/1865
• TO ASK FULL PRIVILEGES IN D.C. SUFFRAGE by Bill Price - The Washington Times, April 10, 1919
• THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SUFFRAGE BILL - Harper's Magazine, Monthly Record of Current Events, February, 1867
• District of Columbia Suffrage Bill - The President's Veto -- The New York Times, January 8, 1867
• President Andrew Johnson’s Veto Message to Congress Concerning A Bill to Regulate the Elective Franchise in the District of Columbia - January 5, 1867
• Americanize the Capital as a Wise Measure of War Preparedness by Theodore W. Noyes, Editor of the Evening Star - The Washington Times, June 29, 1917
• AMENDMENT GIVES DISTRICT A VOICE - The Washington Times, November 18, 1908
• GOVERNORS PLEDGE AID IN FIGHT FOR D.C. VOTES - The Washington Times, March 5, 1919
• An Appeal To The Americanism of Visiting Governors & Mayors - The Washington Times, March 4, 1919
• D.C. VOTE CAMPAIGN BEARS QUICK FRUIT - The Washington Times, March 4, 1919
• GOVERNORS TO AID D.C. VOTE FIGHT - The Washington Times, March 4, 1919
• SIEBOLD FOLLOWER OF PATRICK HENRY - The Washington Times, June 18, 1909
• Debate in the U.S. House of Representatives Concerning An Act to Retrocede the County of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia, to the State of Virginia, Friday, May 8, 1846
• RETROCESSION OF ALEXANDRIA – A Speech by R. M. T. Hunter, of Virginia, before the U.S. House of Representatives, May 8th, 1846
• SENATES VOTES, 55-32 FOR DRY WASHINGTON - The New York Times, January 10, 1917
• SENATE TIE ON PROHIBITION - The New York Times, December 20, 1916
• TO MAKE A STATE OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - The New York Times, December 14, 1902
• VOTE PLEA TO CONGRESS - Americanize 400,000, Urges D.C. Joint Citizens' Committee - The Washington Post, February 13, 1918
• Arkansas Is First To Reject District Voting Amendment - The Washington Post, January 25, 1961
• Justice Stafford Eloquent on Washington: Past, Present, and Future - The Washington Herald, May 9th, 1909
• TAFT STIRS CAPITAL BY SUFFRAGE SPEECH - The New York Times, May 10th, 1909
• HOME RULE FOR THE DISTRICT! GRAND MASS-MEETING OF CITIZENS AT ODD-FELLOWS' HALL [The Washington Times, 1/20/1880]
• WANT 20,000 SIGNERS - The Washington Post, November 16th, 1894
• PRESIDENT OPPOSED TO SUFFRAGE IN DISTRICT - The Washington Post, May 9th, 1909
• Prof. Gregory Favors It - The Washington Post, July 10th, 1883
• Suffrage in the District - The Washington Post, January 24, 1880
• District Representation - The Washington Post, January 22, 1879