Help build better election infrastructureIndependent. Public. Powered by you.
Donate
Help build better election infrastructure

We at Election.org want to build the best election infrastructure and need your help.

$10$20$100
Choose an amount Secure checkout through Stripe.
election.org
Election.orgPublic record
Search public records
Menu
Home/Election rules/District of Columbia
DC · sourced voting rules

How elections work
in District of Columbia

Rules that shape registration and voting, the officials responsible for administering them, and the gaps that still require an election-specific source.

Official election website ↗Who runs the election →

Make your voting plan

District of Columbia
Voter registration guideOfficial registration options Open my election officeOfficial voter services Deadlines and rulesCheck your state’s sources →

Dates for November 3

Download calendar

Partial coverage: only the dated entries below have been checked. Confirm other deadlines and exceptions with your election office.

District of Columbia · Sourced election dates

Checked 2026-10-16. Confirm local details and exceptions with your election office.

Background registration and voting policy
State policy snapshot · not legal advice

Registration, primary, and voting methods

These values preserve the wording in the March 2026 EAC/NCSL profile. Asterisks and qualifications are meaningful; confirm the current election notice before acting.

Primary systemClosed
Registration deadline policy21 days before Election Day
Same-day registrationPermitted
Early in-person votingNo more than 12 days before Election Day
No-excuse absentee votingPermitted; ballots are mailed to all registered voters
Mail-ballot return policyMust be received within 7 days of Election Day*
Ranked-choice voting

Not established by this source

The current EAC/NCSL comparison profile does not provide a complete statewide RCV rule field. Election.org does not infer one.

Write-in rules

Not established by this source

Eligibility, filing, and counting rules can be election-specific. Use the official state election website.

Runoff or win threshold

Read the election notice

The primary-system field above is published. A complete contest-by-contest threshold rule is not.

Official ballot order

Address and election required

A statewide rules profile cannot establish a voter's complete local specimen ballot.

Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission / NCSL State Election Profile for District of Columbia ↗ · published March 2026 · verified 2026-08-24. Confirm current election details ↗
RewatchThe People’s Election