District of Columbia's at-large congressional district

District of Columbia's at-large congressional district
Delegate	Eleanor Holmes Norton D–Washington
Area	61 sq mi (160 km2)
Distribution	100.0% urban 0.0% rural
Population (2019)	705,749
Median household income	$82,372[1]
Ethnicity	44.2% Black 38.0% White 11.3% Hispanic 6.6% Asian 1.7% Native American 0.2% Pacific Islander Americans
Cook PVI	D+43[2][3]

Politics of District of Columbia
The District of Columbia is a unique federal district of the U.S.
Governance Government Home rule Mayor Secretary United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Attorney General for the District of Columbia District of Columbia Court of Appeals (high court) Superior Court of the District of Columbia (trial court) Council (legislative body) Advisory Neighborhood Commission
Representation Voting rights Initiatives and referendums Congressional representation Shadow representation
Elections Elections Political party strength
Politics of the United States  Politics portal
v t e

The District of Columbia's at-large congressional district is a congressional district encompassing all of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. Article One of the United States Constitution instructs that only "States" may be represented in the United States Congress. Because the District of Columbia does not meet that criterion, the member elected from the at-large district is not permitted to participate in votes on the floor of the House. Instead, constituents of the seat elect a non-voting delegate to the chamber. Though the delegate lacks full voting privileges, they are permitted to sit on, cast votes in, and chair congressional committees and subcommittees. The delegate may also join party caucuses, introduce legislation, and hire staff to assist with constituent services.

The modern office of delegate from the District of Columbia was established in 1971. Since then, it has been represented by just two individuals, both of them African American Democrats. Its current delegate is Eleanor Holmes Norton, an advocate for D.C. statehood who assumed office in 1991. Accordingly, she has held the seat for more than 60% of its existence.