Washington DC Voters Pick A New Mayor And Decide A Foie Gras Ban On Tuesday

The DC election on Tuesday, November 3 will choose the District’s next mayor, a council chair, two at large council members, an attorney general and a nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House, and it asks voters to decide a ban on foie gras. Voting centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line by 8 p.m. can still vote, Fox 5 DC reported.

The mayor’s seat is open because Mayor Muriel Bowser is not seeking reelection. The candidates listed by WJLA are Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat, Rhonda Hamilton, an independent, and Robert L. Gross of the Statehood Green Party. The District also elects a delegate, who represents DC in the House of Representatives and can take part in debate and committee work but cannot cast a final vote on the House floor.

The ballot also carries Initiative 86. An initiative is a measure that gets on the ballot because residents collect enough signatures on a petition, instead of the council writing it. Initiative 86 would ban foie gras made by force feeding ducks and geese through tubes and would bar selling products made that way. The group Pro-Animal D.C. submitted more than 46,000 signatures, nearly double the minimum needed, and the D.C. Board of Elections announced this summer that the measure qualified, WTOP reported.

This DC election uses ranked choice voting in contests with three or more candidates. Voters can rank up to five candidates, and if a voter’s first choice is eliminated, that ballot moves to the next choice still in the race, WJLA reported. DC voters approved the change through a 2024 ballot measure known as Initiative 83, according to Ballotpedia.

On Election Day, voters can use any DC voting center no matter where they live. Residents who are not registered can register at a voting center by showing proof of residency, Fox 5 DC reported. Mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the Board of Elections by Friday, November 13, so the count can keep changing after Tuesday night. The D.C. Board of Elections is the place to confirm voting center locations, sample ballots and results.

The winners of the mayor and council races take office after the results are certified, which is the official sign off by election officials that the totals are accurate.

Dee Dee Henderson

Dee Dee Henderson is a Poli Alert journalist covering national politics, elections and the policies that hit closest to home for Black communities, from voting rights and the economy to the courts. She reports the facts first and isn't afraid to say what they mean, and her commentary pieces are clearly labeled as opinion. Her midterm coverage breaks down deadlines, ballot measures and the races that will decide who holds power in Washington.

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