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Voting & Elections Toolkits

Voting and advocacy resources by librarians for librarians

Primaries vs. General Elections

  • Primary elections are conducted to select each party’s candidates in the general election.
  • To vote in a primary election in the District of Columbia, you must be registered to vote with one of the three political parties:
    • Democratic Party
    • Republican Party
    • D.C. Statehood Green Party.

Jurisdiction Offices

Jurisdiction

Offices

Federal

(even years)

President/Vice-President (elected every four years)

Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives (elected every two years)

Shadow U.S. Senators and Shadow U.S. Representative
City

Mayor (elected every four years)

Attorney General (elected every four years)

Chair of the Council of the District of Columbia (elected every four years)

At-large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia (4 members, elected every four years on staggered cycles)

Ward Member of the Council of the District of Columbia (Wards 1 through 8, elected every four years)

District of Columbia State Board of Education (elected every four years)

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANC) (elected every two years)

Important Dates

Key Dates and Deadlines

  • DCBOE begins sending mail-in ballots to all registered voters: September 30, 2024
  • Mail Ballot Drop Boxes open: October 11, 2024
  • Deadline for receipt of all voter registration applications: October 15, 2024
  • Deadline to request Absentee Ballot*: October 15, 2024
  • Deadline for UOCAVA voters to request an Absentee Ballot: November 2, 2024
  • Early Voting period: October 28 to November 3, 2024
  • General Election Day: November 5, 2024
  • Deadline for DCBOE to receive voted Absentee Ballots: November 12, 2024
(*) - Given that DCBOE is mailing all registered DC voters a mail-in ballot, you do NOT need to request an Absentee Ballot unless you will be away from your DC residence during the 2024 Primary Election.

Who Conducts Elections

The District of Columbia Board of Elections (DCBOE) is the independent agency of the District government responsible for the administration of elections, ballot access, and voter registration. DCBOE consists of three active Board members, an Executive Director, a General Counsel, and a number of support staff who run the day-to-day operations of the Agency.

Complaints about Elections

United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division Report Site.

Department of Elections website



The Petition Challenge Process

Within 3 business days after the petition filing deadline, the Registrar issues a preliminary determination as to the sufficiency of a petition. A petition is sufficient if it:

  • Contains the minimum statutory number of signatures;
  • Is accompanied by a filer's affidavit which indicates that the petition is complete and numerically sufficient; and
  • Is on the form issued by the Board of Elections.

All petitions, including those preliminarily determined to be insufficient, are posted for a 10-day challenge period.  Assuming that the other qualifications are satisfied (including overcoming a preliminary determination of petition insufficiency), candidates whose petitions are not timely challenged will be certified for the ballot.

Petitions are posted and available for review in the Board’s office or via an emailed secure link. All requests, whether in person or online, must be made by completing a Data Request Form (linked in the “Additional Forms” section below). Petitions emailed via a secure link are free. Reviewing copies of a candidate’s petition sheets in the Board’s office is also free. Paper copies of petitions can be made for the cost of $0.25 / page via check or money order payable to the D.C. Treasurer. There is a $30 service fee for all returned checks.

For additional information, please visit the Board of Elections Petition Challenge page.

Campaign Finance

The majority of the District of Columbia's election and campaign finance laws are codified in Chapters 10 and 11A of Title 1 of the D.C. Official Code. Additional election laws are codified throughout Chapters 1–4 and 38. Although the Official Code is available online through the D.C. Council website, individual chapters and subchapters cannot be directly linked here. Please follow the outline below to reach the desired chapters and subchapters of the Code.

Election Code

  • Title 1, Chapter 10, "Elections"

Campaign Finance

  • Title 1, Chapter 11A, "Government Ethics and Accountability"
    • Subchapter III, "Campaign Finance"

Additional

  • Title 1, Chapter 1, Subchapter II, "Statehood"
  • Title 1, Chapter 2
    • Subchapter III, "District Charter Preamble, Legislative Power, and Charter Amending Procedures"
    • Subchapter IV, "The District Charter"
    • Subchapter VII, "Referendum; Succession in Government; Temporary Provisions; Miscellaneous; Amendments to District of Columbia Elections Act; Rules of Construction; and Effective Dates"
  • Title 1, Chapter 3, Subchapter V, "Advisory Neighborhood Commissions"
  • Title 1, Chapter 4, "Delegate to the House of Representatives"
  • Title 38, Chapter 26A, “State Board of Education

 

D.C. Municipal Regulations

Disclaimer

Librarians from the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT), a Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA), created these reference guides. These guides are intended for informational purposes only and are not in any way intended to be legal advice.

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These guides are designated with a Creative Commons license and re-use and modification for educational purposes is encouraged.

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