D.C. June primary looms as leadership changes

D.C. June – In Washington, D.C., voters will cast ballots June 16 for mayor, a House delegate, multiple D.C. Council seats, and attorney general—while the District also faces a rare opportunity to choose a new delegate to Congress. This voter guide outlines key election d

On June 16, Washington, D.C. will decide who steers the District’s next era of politics. The calendar matters—because the winners of Democratic primaries in the deep-blue District are widely expected to take office—so the June primary is where momentum will be made.

This year’s stakes feel unusual even for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced late last year that she would not seek a fourth term. ending a leadership stretch that has lasted for years. And on the national front, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton—affectionately called D.C.’s “Warrior on the Hill” after 36 years advocating for the District in the Capitol—is making way for a new delegate to the House of Representatives.

Several candidates have already jumped into races for both mayor and delegate, and many are current D.C. Council members. That has opened seats on the District’s 13-member legislative body, putting more offices in play than most voters are used to seeing in a single primary.

Dates at a glance
May 11: Ballots mailed to registered voters
May 22: Mail ballot drop boxes open
May 26: Voter registration deadline, however, same-day registration is available
June 8 to June 14: Early in-person voting
June 16: Primary Election Day

Registering to vote
D.C. residents can check their voter registration status online.

If voters need to register or update their registration, there are three ways to do so: online, by mail (email or fax work, too) or in-person at the D.C. Board of Elections office or any voter registration agency.

The deadline for voters to make sure they’re properly registered is May 26. If someone misses that deadline, same-day voter registration is available at early voting centers and Election Day vote centers. Voters must bring proof of residence that shows their name and current D.C. address.

More information about registering to vote and acceptable forms of proof of residence is available on the D.C. Board of Elections website.

Voting by mail
All registered voters will receive a ballot by mail. D.C. voters who will be away from their residence during the election should request a mail-in ballot.

Instructions on how to vote and return mail-in ballots will be included with the ballot. The voted and mailed ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day and arrive no later than the 10th day after Election Day.

Mail ballots can also be submitted at any of D.C.’s drop boxes, which are scheduled to open May 22. Ballots should be dropped into the boxes by 8 p.m. on Election Day, June 16. A list of drop box locations is available online.

Voters can track the status of their mailed ballot online.

Voting early
Early vote centers in D.C. will be open from June 8 through June 14, between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. All early vote centers will also operate as polling places on Election Day.

Each of the District’s eight wards has multiple early vote centers. Registered voters can cast a ballot at any early vote center in D.C., regardless of their address.

Registered voters don’t need to bring ID. But those who plan to register same-day must bring proof of D.C. residence.

Voting on Election Day
Election Day voting centers operate the same way as early voting for location flexibility: registered voters can show up to any Election Day voting center to cast a ballot, regardless of their address.

A full list of Election Day vote centers is available online.

As with early voting, those who are already registered don’t need to bring ID, but those who plan to register same-day must bring proof of D.C. residence.

Polls are open on Election Day, June 16, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Ranked choice voting
Ranked choice voting will be in effect for the first time since 2024, when voters in D.C. supported a ballot measure to implement it.

Instead of picking one candidate in each race, voters can rank up to five candidates by order of preference. Voters can still choose to rank only one candidate as their first choice and leave bubbles in the other columns for second choice, third choice, fourth choice and fifth choice blank.

The ballot also comes with a clear warning set for voters: do not rank the same candidate multiple times, fill out multiple bubbles in the same rank column, or skip a rank column (for example, picking a first choice and a third choice but not a second choice).

Examples of valid and invalid ranked choice voting ballots, provided by the D.C. Board of Elections, are available in the guide.

The board is also hosting a series of webinars to educate voters about ranked choice voting. how to fill out ballots properly and mistakes to avoid. Details about the webinars. along with videos. graphics and even exercises to help voters familiarize themselves with the process. are available on the D.C. Board of Elections website.

What, and who, is on the ballot?
Voters will be deciding who fills top leadership positions in the District, including mayor, delegate to the House of Representatives, several D.C. Council seats and attorney general.

Because this is a primary election, voters will only see candidates for their party on the ballot.

Mayor
Janeese Lewis George (D)
Gary Goodweather (D)
Kathy Henderson (D)
Ernest Johnson (D)
Kenyan McDuffie (D)
Vincent Orange (D)
Rini Sampath (D)
Hope Solomon (D)
Robert Gross (Statehood Green Party)

Delegate to House of Representatives
Trent Holbrook (D)
Greg Jaczko (D)
Brooke Pinto (D)
Robert White (D)
Kinney Zalesne (D)
Denise Rosado (R)
Kymone Freeman (Statehood Green Party)

Council chair
Phil Mendelson, incumbent (D)
Abi-Ananiah Prudent (R)

At-large council member
Kevin Chavous (D)
Dwight Davis (D)
Dyana Forester (D)
Fred Hill (D)
Greg Jackson (D)
Leniqua’dominique Jenkins (D)
Candace Tiana Nelson (D)
Oye Owolewa (D)
Lisa Raymond (D)
Darrell Green (R)
Darryl Moch (Statehood Green Party)

Ward 1 council member
Rashida Brown (D)
Terry Lynch (D)
Aparna Raj (D)
Jackie Reyes Yanes (D)
Miguel Trindade Deramo (D)
Jett James Jasper (R)
Jude Crannitch (Statehood Green Party)

Ward 3 council member
Matthew Frumin, incumbent (D)

Ward 5 council member
Bernita Carmichael (D)
Bridget French (D)
Zachary Parker, incumbent (D)
Jeffrey Kihien-Palza (R)
Joyce Robinson-Paul (Statehood Green Party)

Ward 6 council member
Charles Allen, incumbent (D)
Michael Murphy (D)
Gloria Ann Nauden (D)
Jorge Rice (R)

Attorney general
Brian Schwalb, incumbent (D)
J.P. Szymkowicz (D)
Manuel Rivera (R)

A special election also appears on the ballot, tied to Kenyan McDuffie’s at-large seat on the D.C. Council. The council appointed a former McDuffie staffer, Doni Crawford, to fill his seat until this special election could take place. Crawford is running to finish the term, which ends in January.

The seat is included in the primary election, but the special election will determine who holds the seat until January, when the winner of this election cycle will be sworn in to start their term.

At-large council member (special election)
Doni Crawford (I)
Khalil Lee (I)
Jacque Patterson (I)
Elissa Silverman (I)
Doug Sloan (I)

All the candidates in the special election are running as independents. since there can only be one Democratic at-large member of the council at a time. At-large Council member Anita Bonds is a Democrat. but is not seeking reelection. which is why there are Democratic candidates for an at-large seat in the primary election.

The election guide makes one thing plain: this June primary isn’t just a contest of names. It’s the point where D.C. voters choose whether the next mayor. the next delegate to Congress and multiple Council leaders come from the same familiar benches—or from new faces stepping into open doors that have suddenly appeared.

D.C. primary June 16 voter guide ranked choice voting Muriel Bowser Eleanor Holmes Norton mayor race D.C. Council delegate to the House of Representatives attorney general