It’s DCision day!
Well, sort of. This is the primary election: members of political parties are deciding who they want to put on the ballot for each office.
The General Election takes place November 8. During that election, all registered District voters will choose from candidates selected by each party and running as independents for each office. The winners in that election take office in January 2023.
But DC is largely a blue city, so these primary elections often function as the main event.
What’s on the Ballot
Click on hyperlinks to get profiles of candidates in each race. Residents in each ward can vote in limited races for: Councilmembers for Ward 1, 3, 5 and our own representative, Ward 6; Ward-based committee members of the DC Democratic State Committee.
Residents of the District can vote in citywide races: mayor, attorney general, DC Council Chair, At-Large councilmembers, US Shadow Representative and Delegate to Congress
Click on hyperlinks to read election coverage for each office.
(Note: The Full Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers Amendment Act, a referendum on whether DC should get rid of the tipped wage scale, has been pushed to the November General Election).
Where and When to Vote
Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and ballot drop boxes also close at 8 p.m. If you’re standing in line at 8 p.m., you’ll be allowed to vote, so get in there.
90 Vote Centers are open on June 21. Find the full list here.
You can vote at any vote center, no matter where you live —the days of assigned polling places are evidently gone.
Ward 6 has ten vote centers: J.O. Wilson Elementary (660 K St. NE); Watkins Elementary (420 12th St. SE); Payne Elementary School (1445 C St. SE); Stuart Hobson Middle School (410 E St. NE); Jefferson Middle School (801 Seventh St. SW); Eastern Market (225 Seventh St. SE, North Hall); the Lutheran Church of the Reformation (212 E. Capitol St. NE), King Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N St. SW) and Sherwood Recreation Center (640 Tenth St. NE); Walker-Jones Education Campus 9155 L St. NW). But you can find the full list here!
Voting by Mail and Drop Box
The DC Board of Elections (DCBOE) started mailing ballots to voters May 16. You can still mail in your ballot mail and track it online (https://votedc.ballottrax.net/voter/), but it must be postmarked by June 21 and received by June 28.
Alternatively, ballot drop boxes opened May 27. You can drop them off at one of the 6 Ward 6 locations (see list) or search for one on your route here.
Same Day Voting
If you are a registered voter, you won’t need any particular identification to vote, unless you are doing same-day voter registration. Then you’ll need to bring proof of residence. That can include a DC-issued ID (i.e., driver’s license or REAL id), a government check or paycheck, a bank statement, a current utility bill, a lease, or any official document that includes your name and current District address.
If you are incarcerated, regardless of the offense, you can vote. If you are under court supervision or residing at a halfway house after release, you can vote.
If an Absentee Ballot was mailed and you were released from incarceration before it arrived, you may vote at any Voting Center during Early Voting or at any Vote Center on Election Day. Upon your release, please contact the Board of Elections to make any updates to your mailing address.
When Do We See Results?
DCBOE usually posts results for mail and early in-person shortly after polling places close on Election Day, followed by the day-of results. But remember: mail-in ballots have til June 28 to get in. Nothing is official until results are certified on July 8.
Find out more about the June Primaries by visiting dcboe.org/Elections/2022-Elections
