It’s Votin’ Season: Dear District 2020 Election Guide
Everything you need to know to vote in DC
Dear District,
There’s a fall crisp in the air and ballot drop boxes are popping up all over the city. It’s time to make a plan and vote EARLY. Here’s everything you need to know:
How to Cast Your Ballot
If you are a registered voter in DC, you hopefully received your mail-in ballot last week. You can check your registration status here and track your ballot here. To vote by mail, simply fill out your ballot (don’t forget the back!) and return it one of these ways:
Place it in a secure drop box starting Monday, October 5 (Locations)
Return it to any Early Voting Center starting October 27 (Locations)
Return it to any Election Day Voting Center on Nov 3 (Locations)
Drop it in a USPS mailbox (Locations)
If you didn’t receive a mail-in ballot or would rather vote in person, make a plan to do so EARLY!! Early voting in the June 2020 Primary was extremely sparse, but the lines on Election Day lasted for HOURS. In-person voting starts Oct. 27 and will be open through Election Day Nov 3. Here’s a map of Early Voting and Election Day Vote Centers. You can vote at any Voting Center regardless of where you live.
See more details about voting in the DC Voter Guide, or from the DC Board of Elections. And feel free to shoot me an email if you have a question. The most important thing is to have a plan and vote EARLY.
(Photo via @mraydc)
Dear District Candidate Guide
At-Large DC Council
#1 Vote: Ed Lazere
#2 Vote: Robert White or Write-in “Fair Elections”
This is the marquee race on the local ballot this year. First, some background on the seat itself: you get TWO votes for this race, and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will be elected to the Council. One of the two seats is generally won by a Democrat, while the other—per DC’s Home Rule Charter—must be reserved for the non-majority party. Robert White, Jr. won an uncontested Primary in June to appear on the ballot as the only Democrat. The remaining 23 (!) candidates are mostly Independents, many of whom changed their party ID from Democrat to Independent to run for this seat.
Given that Robert White is an incumbent and the only Democrat on the ballot in this citywide race, he is extremely likely to be the #1 vote-getter and win reelection. In effect, the remaining candidates are competing against each other for the #2 slot.
You get two votes, but make sure to use them strategically. If you vote for two competitive candidates who aren’t Robert White, your vote may effectively cancel itself out because you would be voting for candidates who are competing against each other. If you strongly prefer one candidate, I would recommend voting for that candidate only OR voting for that candidate + Robert White OR voting for that candidate + a candidate with good politics but little chance to win (like Markus Batchelor or Will Merrifield).
If you’d like to get a better sense of the full field of candidates, how much grassroots support they have, and who has endorsed them, check out the DC Voter Guide.
#1 Vote: Ed Lazere
Ed is the consensus progressive candidate in this race, having been endorsed by Attorney General Karl Racine, Ward 4’s Janeese Lewis George, At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman, and the lion’s share of DC’s unions and grassroots progressive organizations. Ed is a budget expert and the founding Executive Director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, where he has studied racial and economic inequality in DC for 20 years. Ed has helped lead citywide coalitions to raise the minimum wage, implement Paid Family Leave, and target affordable housing programs to those most at-risk of being pushed out of the city. I will be enthusiastically voting for Ed because I am inspired by his call for DC to double its investment in affordable housing, divest from policing in favor of community supports, and to use our budget and tax code to serve those who have been most harmed by COVID and the decades of structural inequality that preceded it.
(Disclosure: I do paid design work for Ed. I’m proud to work for him because he is a good person with good politics.)
#2 Vote: Robert White or Write-in “Fair Elections”
I personally will not be voting for Robert White because I am disappointed he opted out of DC’s public financing system. Candidates who use DC’s Fair Elections program have contributions capped at $100 (instead of the usual $1,000), and can’t accept corporate or PAC contributions. Donations from DC residents are then matched 5-to-1 by public dollars. As candidate Markus Batchelor put it, “It's a better investment for the city to pay for a four month campaign than to get robbed over the next four years.” Robert White has funded his campaign the old-fashioned way: his average contribution is $307, 22% of his money is from corporations and PACs, and only 6% is from DC residents giving $100 or less. It is likely White will run for Mayor in 2022, so the way he chooses to fund his campaign matters. Fundraising aside, White has been a relatively reliable progressive vote on the Council and has led on issues of expanding voting rights and increasing funding for childcare and public housing repairs.
Ward 2 DC Council: Randy Downs
Brooke Pinto unexpectedly won the crowded Democratic Primary for the Ward 2 Council seat in early June. Two weeks later, she went on to win the Special Election to fill the remainder of the term vacated by disgraced ex-Councilmember Jack Evans. Pinto holds the seat now through the end of the year, and is extremely likely to win the General Election for a full term that would run Jan 2021–2025. However, in her short time in office, she has proven herself to be moderate to conservative on issues of taxation, transit equity, and more. She has been criticized for sloppy (at best!) campaign finance reporting practices, and for running in social circles that overlap with the Mar-a-Lago crowd.
Independent candidate Randy Downs is challenging Pinto from the left and has picked up some support from the progressive and urbanist community. Downs is unlikely to win, as Pinto has the advantage of being an incumbent with (D) next to her name on the ballot. Still, it is important for voters to send Pinto a message that they are paying close attention and will not tolerate corruption or regressive policy. Voting for Randy Downs or Independent candidate Martín Miguel Fernández is the best way to send that message.
Ward 4 DC Council: Janeese Lewis George
Following her resounding victory in the Ward 4 Democratic Primary, Janeese is all-but-assured to win the General Election for the Council seat in Ward 4. Vote for Janeese and get used to hearing her name!
(Disclosure: I did paid design work for Janeese’s Primary campaign.)
Ward 7 DC Council: Write-in or Vince Gray
Vince Gray is a moderate Democrat running unopposed for re-election to the Ward 7 Council seat. He previously served as DC Mayor and Council Chair. Gray is one of the more conservative members of the Council, voting most in line with Brandon Todd, Anita Bonds, and Kenyan McDuffie. He’s running unopposed after winning the Democratic Primary against a wide field with just 45% of the vote.
Ward 8 DC Council: Trayon White
Trayon White, Sr. is likely to win reelection to the Ward 8 Council seat after winning the Democratic Primary and facing only nominal opposition in the General. White is a relatively reliable progressive vote and an incredible voice for his community. Follow him on Instagram for real talk about his community, his family, and his role on the Council.
DC State Board of Education
The State Board of Education (SBOE) is a non-partisan elected body that helps set education policy in DC. They don’t have a ton of power because DC has mayoral control of the schools and the Council conducts a lot of the budgeting and oversight. Still, the SBOE plays a role in shaping education policy in the District and is an important ideological battleground for the debate around privatizing education. The corporate-funded privatization lobby consistently invests in SBOE races. My recommendations in the SBOE races are based on endorsements from the Washington Teacher’s Union, who I consider the most important voice in DC on what our students and educators need to succeed:
At-Large: Mysiki Valentine
Ward 2: James Harnett
Ward 4: Frazier O’Leary (incumbent)
Ward 7: Eboni Rose Thompson
Ward 8: Carlene Reid
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC)
DC’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission is a citywide network of hyperlocal citizen elected officials who advocate for their neighborhoods, weigh in on zoning and licensing issues, and make policy recommendations to the Mayor and Council. DC has 296 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners who represent “single-member districts.” The Commissioners are organized into 40 different Commissions that work together to represent broader neighborhoods. About 60% of ANC races are uncontested this cycle, 36% are contested, and a few have no one running :/ Given the number of seats, there’s no single source for candidate info, but check out the ANC Finder to look up which district you fall in, browse Open ANC to see a list of candidates and contested races, and see interviews of Ward 6 candidates in The Hill is Home. Local activists Aaron Landry and James Harnett have also highlighted some great ANC candidates. If you have questions about your district, feel free to crowdsource on Twitter. There are some cool people running—including 3 Deaf candidates!
Initiative 81: YES on 81 (on the back of your ballot)
Incredibly, organizers were able to gather the 10s of 1000s of signatures required to get a referendum on the ballot this year, despite the pandemic! Initiative 81 will help DC residents who use natural plant medicines such as psilocybin mushrooms or mescaline from cactus. These medicines are often used to treat anxiety, depression, and PTSD. If Initiative 81 is approved, it would not change DC’s penalties for possessing these plants and fungi, but would make it the lowest priority for enforcement, allowing public safety interventions to be focused on more pressing needs.
President and Vice President
We know what we need to do.
Delegate to the House of Representatives: Eleanor Holmes Norton
Del. Holmes Norton has been DC’s non-voting member of Congress since the 1990s. She is a Civil Rights and DC Statehood icon and will likely hold this seat for as long as she wants to serve.
United States Senator (Shadow): Paul Strauss
DC elects two “Shadow Senators” who are not actually members of the Senate but focus their time on advocating for DC statehood. Senator Strauss is currently holding the position and running for reelection.
United States Representative (Shadow): Oye Owolewa
This is another statehood advocacy position. Oye Owolewa is the Democratic candidate.
And that should cover it! Feel free to reply to this email if you have questions. Please forward this to friends, neighbors, and anyone else you think would appreciate it! You can subscribe to Dear District or read this issue online here, and don’t forget to check out DC Voter Guide for more info on voting in the At-Large race. Thanks for reading, and, more importantly, voting EARLY!
—Dan
Dear District is an independent project of me, Dan Essrow. I’m a designer, writer, and doer of democracy living in DC’s Ward 1.
P.S. There is an amazing wealth of local DC reporting—longform and on Twitter. Dear District relies entirely on work from dedicated DC journalists and citizens like Keith Ivey, Erin Palmer, Cuneyt Dil, Fenit Nirappil, Martin Austermuhle, Rachel Kurzius, Tom Sherwood, Mitch Ryals, Perry Stein, Jeffrey Anderson, Amanda Michelle Gómez, and Michael Brice-Saddler.
Here’s some links in case you want more local DC content in your life:
District Links (daily! local DC email)