Monday, May 16, 2022
It’s voting season in the District. Here’s what you need to know.
This year’s city-wide general election will be November 8. Contests will be for the mayor’s office, six D.C. Council seats, and for the first time a chance to pick a new D.C. Attorney General, as Karl A. Racine (D) — the city’s first elected AG — is not running for a third term. The D.C. Council Chair position will also be on the ballot in addition to the D.C. Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives and the city’s “shadow” representative to the U.S. Senate.
The District will hold a party primary on June 21 to determine finalists on the November general election ballots. Given how heavily Democratic the nation’s capital is, the results of the Democratic Party primary tend to be decisive in the November elections.
According to the D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE), primaries are held “only for partisan offices (such as Delegate to the House, Mayor, Councilmember, and Senator and Representative).” Therefore, only the following recognized parties will be holding primaries on June 21: Democratic, Republican, D.C. Statehood Green, and Libertarian. In the District “only voters registered with one of these parties may vote in their party’s [primary] election.”
—
On the Ballot for the June 21 party primary:
DELEGATE TO THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Democratic Party: Wendy “Hope Dealer” Hamilton, Eleanor H. Norton and Kelly Mikel Williams
Republican Party: Nelson F. Rimensnyder
MAYOR OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Democratic Party: James Butler, Muriel E. Bowser, Trayon “Washington DC” White and Robert White
Republican Party: Stacia R. Hall
CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Democratic Party: Erin Palmer and Phil Mendelson
Republican Party: Nate Derenge
AT-LARGE MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Democratic Party: Lisa Gore, Nate Fleming, Anita Bonds and Dexter Williams
Republican Party: Giuseppe Niosi
ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Democratic Party: Brian Schwalb, Ryan L. Jones and Bruce V. Spiva
LOCAL PARTY OFFICES DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEE
NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN: Kevin B. Chavous
NATIONAL COMMITTEEWOMAN: Denise L. Reed
AT-LARGE COMMITTEEMAN: Charles E. Wilson, James S. Bubar, Dave Donaldson, Keith Hasan-Towery, James J. Sydnor, Matt LaFortune and John Green
AT-LARGE COMMITTEEWOMAN: Monica L. Roaché, Linda L. Gray, Dionna Maria Lewis, Patricia “Pat” Elwood, Andria Thomas, Maria Patricia Corrales and Chioma J. Iwuoha
WARD TWO COMMITTEEMAN: John Fanning and Brian Romanowski
WARD TWO COMMITTEEWOMAN: Janice Ferebee and Meg Roggensack
All other positions on Republican Party ballots are write-ins. There are only write-ins on ballots for the DC Statehood Green Party and the Libertarian Party.
—
Beginning on May 16, voter ballots will be sent to all registered D.C. voters giving citizens a chance to vote by mail. Ballot drop boxes may be used beginning May 27. Early voting in D.C. runs from June 10 through June 19. On June 21 — Primary Election Day — polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.
Registration is required to vote in the District. However, the DCBOE must “receive your Voter Registration at least 21 days prior to Election Day.” So, the deadline to register for this year’s party primaries is: Tuesday, May 31. However, if you miss the deadline, the DCBOE website says, “Same-Day Registration is available at Vote Centers during the Early Voting period [June 10 through 19] and on Election Day.”
According to the Washington Post, a voter registration application swearing or affirming voting qualifications and a “valid proof of residence” is required. D.C. residents who are U.S. citizens ages 16 and older can register to vote online, or in person at the DCBOE office (1015 Half St. SE, Suite 750, Washington, D.C. 20003) or any voter registration agency, by mail, email or fax.” Residents can call (202) 347-2648 for more information.
A list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions from the D.C. Board of Elections can be found here. Voting sites and locations can be found here.
Stay tuned for Election 2022 campaign profiles, updates and news in upcoming newsletters and our June print issue. For our recent exclusive interview with D.C. mayoral candidate Robert C. White, Jr. (D), see here.
