Early voting opens Monday as D.C. uses ranked-choice ballots in a general election for the first time

Early voting in the District begins Monday, Oct. 26, for the Nov. 3 general election, the first D.C. general election to use ranked-choice voting. According to the D.C. Board of Elections, early vote centers will be open from Oct. 26 through Nov. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Election Day, vote centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and mail ballot drop boxes accept ballots until 8 p.m. that night.

Voters should confirm registration, vote center locations, mail ballot rules and other deadlines directly with the Board of Elections or at vote.gov.

What’s on the ballot

The Board’s official candidate list shows these citywide contests, with candidates listed here in ballot order:

• Mayor (open seat; Mayor Muriel Bowser is not seeking a fourth term): Rhonda Hamilton (independent), Janeese Lewis George (Democrat) and Robert L. Gross (D.C. Statehood Green).
• Delegate to the U.S. House (open seat; Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is not running): Denise Rosado (Republican), Robert White (Democrat) and Kymone Freeman (D.C. Statehood Green).
• Attorney general: Manuel Rivera (Republican) and incumbent Brian L. Schwalb (Democrat).
• Council chairman: incumbent Phil Mendelson (Democrat) and Abi-Ananiah Prudent (Republican).
• At-large Council (two seats): Oye Owolewa (Democrat), Darryl Moch (D.C. Statehood Green), Darrell Green (Republican) and incumbent Elissa Silverman (independent).
• Shadow senator: Robert Simmons (Republican) and incumbent Paul Strauss (Democrat). Shadow representative: Ciprian Ivanof (Republican) and Franklin Garcia (Democrat).

Ward Council seats are on the ballot in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6, along with State Board of Education seats in those wards and Advisory Neighborhood Commission races. Voters will also decide Initiative 86, which would ban force-feeding birds to enlarge their livers and ban the sale of products such as foie gras, with enforcement by the Department of Energy and Environment, according to City Cast DC. Sample ballots for each ward are posted on the Board’s 2026 elections page.

How ranked-choice voting works here

Ranked-choice voting, adopted by voters through Initiative 83 in 2024, was first used in the June primary. In November it applies to races with three or more candidates, including the mayoral, delegate and at-large contests, City Cast reported. Voters may rank up to five candidates. If no one wins outright, the last-place candidate is eliminated and those ballots move to each voter’s next choice still in the race.

The at-large question

The two-seat at-large race has drawn particular attention. Under the old system, each voter could cast two votes. Under the new counting method, each ballot counts once: if a voter’s first choice wins a seat, that ballot does not carry over to help fill the second seat, the Hill Rag reported. At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson has raised concerns that a voter’s ballot will count toward only one candidate in the race, NBC4 reported. The Home Rule Charter limits how many at-large candidates one party can nominate, so in practice one seat goes to a Democrat and the other is reserved for a non-Democrat.

Mendelson proposed emergency legislation over the summer to change the counting but withdrew it amid objections to changing rules during a campaign, the Hill Rag reported. Silverman’s campaign has urged her supporters to rank her first, NBC4 reported. Brian Strege of Make All Votes Count DC, which backed Initiative 83, told the Hill Rag the design suits a seat reserved for a non-Democrat and is a matter of values rather than a flaw.

Results

Official results will be posted by the Board of Elections after polls close on Nov. 3.