Most Washington, DC voters ranked 2+ candidates in primary election, with high use of rankings across all eight wards
Recent polling shows that 78% say ranked choice voting is simple, 74% like the ability to rank candidates
July 29, 2026 – Today, FairVote and Grow Democracy DC Civic Education Fund shared an analysis showing how Washington, DC voters took advantage of ranked choice voting – using the Board of Elections’ cast vote record, certified election results, and polling.
“The data is clear: voters across Washington, DC successfully ranked their ballots, and took advantage of the additional choice and power it gave them,” said Lisa D.T. Rice, CEO of Grow Democracy DC. “We rank things every day, and we knew voters would quickly learn how to rank candidates with good voter education. I’m very grateful for the DC Board of Elections and its tireless voter education work, and proud of Rank the District’s role in this effort across all eight wards. Now it’s back to work – educating more voters ahead of November elections, and getting ready to implement semi-open primaries in 2028.”
Key findings include:
- In Washington, DC’s first use of ranked choice voting, a significant majority of voters ranked two or more candidates, matching national trends. This included:
- 64% of voters in the Democratic primary for mayor
- 75% of voters in the Democratic primary for at-large Council
- 80% of voters in the Democratic primary for Ward 1 Council
- 62% of voters in the Democratic primary for congressional delegate
- In the mayoral primary:
- Janeese Lewis George won with 54% of voters’ first choices. However, ranked choice voting gives us a more detailed picture of voter preferences, including the breadth of support for winning candidates. 71% of voters ranked Lewis George in their top three choices, and 75% ranked Lewis George somewhere on their ballot.
- Voters across all eight wards ranked two or more candidates at high rates. Voters in Wards 7 and 8 were most likely to use all five rankings.
- The data supports June polling showing that Washington, DC voters like and understand ranked choice voting – with 78% saying it was simple to complete their ballot, and 74% saying they like the ability to rank candidates.
- Approximately 142,500 people voted in the Democratic primary – the highest turnout since 1994.
- Voters were more likely to rank in contests with active RCV campaigning. Across contests, voters who ranked a lower-performing candidate first were more likely to rank backup choices – an indicator that DC voters understand how ballots are counted.
| Contest | Frontrunner candidates | Voters for frontrunners who ranked 2+ choices | Voters for other candidates who ranked 2+ choices |
| Mayor (Democratic primary) | Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie | 62% | 80% |
| Delegate to US House (Democratic primary) | Robert White and Brooke Pinto | 61% | 83% |
| At-large Council (Democratic primary) | Oye Owolewa | 69% | 79% |
| At-large Council (special election) | Elissa Silverman | 53% | 68% |
| Ward 1 Council (Democratic primary) | Aparna Raj | 77% | 80% |
- The data allows analysts to continue the RCV count until only two candidates remain. In the at-large and Ward 1 primaries, these results show clear consensus support for Oye Owolewa and Aparna Raj, respectively.
- The full analysis is available here.
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FairVote is a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections for all. We research and advance voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every American.
Grow Democracy DC Civic Education Fund is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization supporting implementation of ranked choice voting and semi-open primaries in the District of Columbia.
