D.C. voters will head to the polls June 16 to pick Democratic nominees for several key races — including D.C. mayor and the city’s delegate in the House of Representative — in an election that could signal a shift in the city’s governance as some longtime officials decided not to seek reelection.
A special election also will be held that day to fill an open independent at-large seat on the D.C. Council.
This spring’s elections will mark the first in D.C. using ranked-choice voting, and election officials and other organizations have hosted events and shared other information in recent months to make sure people understand the process.
Ahead of the Democratic primary, we asked candidates for mayor and the D.C. Council to share their views on issues such as a youth curfew, congestion pricing and D.C. tax policy. You can read their responses here.
Here are other key things to know about the June primary.
What local races are on the ballot?
The June 16 Democratic primary includes candidates for mayor, D.C. Council chairman, council members in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6, and at-large, as well as attorney general, and delegate to the House.
There also will be a special election to fill the independent at-large council seat vacated earlier this year by Kenyan R. McDuffie before he announced his run for mayor as a Democrat. Voters also will select local party officials.
Who are the candidates running for D.C. mayor?
Seven Democrats are running to succeed Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who opted not to seek a fourth-term in office — marking the first race without an incumbent in two decades.
Competing in the primary are businessman Gary Goodweather; Ward 4 council member Janeese Lewis George; Ernest E. Johnson, chairman and chief executive for the Friends of the Frank Reeves Center; former at-large council member Kenyan R. McDuffie; former council member Vincent B. Orange (“VO”), an attorney and certified public accountant; Rini Sampath, a cybersecurity director; and Hope Solomon, a small-business owner.
Read more:
- The rise of Janeese Lewis George, who could be D.C.’s first democratic socialist mayor
- In D.C. mayor’s race, Kenyan R. McDuffie is the not-so-moderate moderate
- Ad wars ramp up in D.C. mayoral race as primary enters final month
Who are the candidates running for D.C. Council?
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D), who has served on the council since 1999, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The Ward 1 race is wide open after three-term council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D) decided she would not seek reelection. Vying in the race are Aparna Raj, communications manager for Local Progress; Rashida Brown, owner and principal of Seedling Strategies LLC; Jackie Reyes-Yanes, a community advocate and former director of the mayor’s offices on Latino affairs and community affairs; Terry Lynch, executive director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations; and Miguel Trindade Deramo, an advisory neighborhood commissioner and organizer.
Ward 3 council member Matthew Frumin, who has represented the area since 2023, is running unopposed.
In Ward 5, incumbent Zachary Parker is running for a second term against Bernita Carmichael, a career enterprise risk professional; and Bridget K. French, a policy director.
The primary in Ward 6 pits incumbent Charles Allen, a three-term council member targeted two years ago by an unsuccessful recall effort, against Michael Murphy, an attorney; and Gloria Ann Nauden, a CEO.
In the at-large Democratic primary, nine candidates are competing to succeed outgoing council member Anita Bonds, who opted not to run for reelection after more than a decade in office. Competing for the seat are attorney Kevin B. Chavous; Dwight Davis, an educator; Dyana N.M. Forester, a senior director of labor relations; business owner Fred Hill, a small-business owner; Greg Jackson, president of the Rocket Foundation; Leniqua’dominique Jenkins; Candace Tiana Nelson; Oye Owolewa, a pharmacist and shadow U.S. representative; and Lisa Raymond, major gifts officer for Covenant House Greater Washington.
In the independent special election for an at-large seat, Doni Crawford, who was appointed in January to temporarily replace McDuffie after he resigned to run for mayor, is competing against Jacque Patterson, president of the D.C. State Board of Education, and former council member Elissa Silverman, a communications and public policy consultant.
Who is running for House delegate?
Longtime Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has held the seat since 1991, announced in the fall that she would not seek a 19th term as the nonvoting representative in the House. The five-candidate Democratic primary to succeed her includes two at-large D.C. Council members, Brooke Pinto and Robert C. White Jr.; as well as Norton aide Trent Holbrook; Greg Jaczko, a trained physicist; and Kinney Zalesne, a former Democratic National Committee official.
Read more:
Who is running for attorney general?
Incumbent Brian Schwalb is seeking a second term in office against attorney J.P. Szymkowicz. As the city’s chief legal officer, the attorney general is responsible for enforcing the laws of D.C., providing legal advice for government agencies and promoting other interests of city residents.
How does ranked-choice voting work?
The June elections will be the first using ranked-choice voting, after Initiative 83 passed two years ago. The method will allow voters to rank up to five candidates in order of preference, though you can select just one candidate, if preferred.
A candidate must secure at least 50 percent of the vote to win. If a candidate does not reach that threshold after first-choice votes are tallied, the person receiving the fewest votes is eliminated, and anyone who ranked that candidate first will have their vote transferred to their second choice. The process will continue until a candidate reaches a 50 percent majority.
The D.C. Board of Elections has been holding forums to help voters understand the new system. Here is a schedule of remaining events and other information on ranked-choice voting.
How do I vote?
Election Day is June 16. The primary elections are open only to voters registered with the Democratic, Republican or D.C. Statehood Green parties. All registered voters can cast a ballot in the at-large special election. In addition, noncitizen D.C. residents can vote only in local races.
The deadline has passed for people to register online or by mail to vote in this election, but D.C. offers same-day registration at early-voting centers or on Election Day, allowing people to show up with proof of residence and be issued a ballot.
Check your registration status or apply at dcboe.org/registertovote.
Military and overseas voters can get more information about registration and absentee ballots at fvap.gov/district-of-columbia.
All registered D.C. voters should have received a ballot in the mail, which can be mailed back, placed in ballot drop boxes or returned to voting centers. Ballots sent through the U.S. Postal Service must be postmarked by June 16 and received by June 26 to be counted.
Early-voting centers will open June 8 and run from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until June 14 at 25 sites across the District.
On June 16, voting centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Here is a map of all the drop boxes and voting centers.
The post A voter’s guide to the 2026 D.C. primary election appeared first on Washington Post.
