▁if ▁it ▁were ▁a ▁state . ▁When ▁first ▁established ▁as ▁the ▁nation ' s ▁capital ▁in ▁ 1 8 0 0 , ▁the ▁District ▁of ▁Columbia ' s ▁five ▁thousand ▁residents ▁had ▁neither ▁a ▁local ▁government , ▁nor ▁the ▁right ▁to ▁vote ▁in ▁federal ▁elections . ▁By ▁ 1 9 6 0 ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁the ▁District ▁had ▁grown ▁to ▁over ▁ 7 6 0 , 0 0 0 ▁people . ▁ ▁The ▁Tw enty - four th ▁Am end ment ▁( 1 9 6 4 ) ▁prohib its ▁a ▁poll ▁tax ▁for ▁voting . ▁Although ▁passage ▁of ▁the ▁Th ir teenth , ▁Four teenth , ▁and ▁Fif teenth ▁Am end ments ▁helped ▁remove ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁disc rimin atory ▁laws ▁left ▁over ▁from ▁sla very , ▁they ▁did ▁not ▁eliminate ▁all ▁forms ▁of ▁disc rim ination . ▁Al ong ▁with ▁liter acy ▁tests ▁and ▁dur ational ▁res iden cy ▁requirements , ▁poll ▁tax es ▁were ▁used ▁to ▁keep ▁low - in come ▁( prim arily ▁African ▁American ) ▁citizens ▁from ▁particip ating ▁in ▁elections . ▁ ▁The ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁has ▁since ▁struck ▁down ▁these ▁disc rimin atory ▁measures , ▁opening ▁dem ocr atic ▁participation ▁to ▁all . ▁ ▁The ▁Tw enty - six th ▁Am end ment ▁( 1 9 7 1 ) ▁prohib its ▁the ▁government ▁from ▁den ying ▁the ▁right ▁of ▁United ▁States ▁citizens , ▁eigh teen ▁years ▁of ▁age ▁or ▁older , ▁to ▁vote ▁on ▁account ▁of ▁age . ▁The ▁drive ▁to ▁lower ▁the ▁voting ▁age ▁was ▁driven ▁in