Tomorrow, June 16, Washington, DC will use ranked choice voting (RCV) for the first time. The District has several competitive primaries – including for mayor, U.S. House, and District Council – and RCV will ensure that the winners in every race have majority support. Voters can cast their ballots honestly, without worrying about which candidates are most likely to win.

Read on for updates from the Washington, DC primary – including the work DC has done to educate voters about ranked choice voting.

DC is setting a strong example on voter education

In the months preceding the primary, the DC Board of Elections, community organizations, and candidates have helped educate voters about the change coming to their elections.

The Board of Elections has hosted over 220 events about RCV in all parts of the District and online – and has partnered with organizations like AARP DC and the League of Women Voters of DC to expand its reach. The Board has published informational materials in seven languages, and has prioritized outreach in retirement homes and neighborhoods that tend to have lower turnout – getting voters in all wards of DC ready for RCV.

Community organizations have also been instrumental in educating voters. For example, Rank the District has hosted over 125 voter education events and led an extensive digital outreach campaign. Rank The District placed volunteers at early voting centers to speak with voters as they head into the ballot box, and will have volunteers at polling stations on Election Day.

Candidates have taken part in voter education, too – including mailers that remind or show voters how to rank their ballots, and videos explaining RCV by ranking ice cream flavors, pizza toppings, flowers, and other popular items. 

Here are some fun examples of other organizations and DC icons getting involved:

Hal Hershfelt, defensive midfielder for the Washington Spirit and U.S. women’s national soccer team, ranks her coffee orders:

Ben Ali, owner of iconic DC restaurant Ben’s Chili Bowl, ranks menu items:

Fashion commentator Benjamin Coy ranks outfits from the Met Gala:

What are DC’s biggest elections this year?

In this deep-blue district, Democratic nominees are heavily favored to win in November. This year, several longtime incumbents decided not to run for re-election, leading to open races with wide fields of candidates.

Elsewhere in the country, primaries this crowded might produce winners with as little as 28% or 24% of the vote. In recent years, DC has had the same problem: Since 2012, every districtwide office and six of the eight wards have seen Democratic primaries won with less than 50% of the vote. Since 2020, Ward 2 and Ward 7 have had Democratic Council primaries won with less than 30% of the vote.

With ranked choice voting, Democratic nominees in DC will have support from a majority of their party – as will the winner in an at-large Council election. Here are some key elections where ranked choice voting could make a difference.

Democratic mayoral primary

This year’s highest-profile race is the Democratic primary for mayor. Incumbent Muriel Bowser is retiring after three terms, setting up an open race for the first time in 12 years. Seven candidates are running, with Councilmember Janeese Lewis George and former Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie leading in the polls.

The race between the frontrunners is close, and polling shows that neither may secure a majority of voters’ first choices. With RCV, voters can be confident they’ll get a nominee with majority support.

Democratic congressional primary

Longtime Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is retiring after 35 years in office.

Five candidates are running in the Democratic primary – and the frontrunners appear to be District Councilmembers Robert White and Brooke Pinto. If neither earns a majority of voters’ first choices, the race could be decided by voters’ backup choices.

Council elections

Three open races for DC Council have seen crowded, competitive fields. These elections are where RCV is most likely to make a difference – as voters have more candidates to choose from, and there is a strong likelihood no candidate receives a majority of first choices.

RCV is particularly empowering in these contests – voters can rank candidates in honest order of preference. If their favorite candidate doesn’t have a chance to win, their votes count for a backup choice instead of being “wasted.”

All three of these races have seen cross-endorsements – where rival candidates encourage voters to rank each other. Cross-endorsements are a powerful example of how RCV can make campaigns more positive – encouraging candidates to show common ground with their opponents instead of just going on the attack. Even without a formal cross-endorsement, candidates can highlight their opponents’ strengths – or ask for voters’ second-choice support.

At-Large Democratic primary

Nine candidates are running in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Councilmember Anita Bonds.

Candidates Lisa Raymond, Greg Jackson, and Candace Tiana Nelson have urged voters to rank all of them, along with fellow candidate Candace Tiana Nelson; campaign mailers have also encouraged voters to rank both Raymond and Jackson. Though not a formal cross-endorsement, candidate Oye Owolewa asked voters to rank three of his rivals – Nelson, Dyana Forester, and Kevin Chavous.

At-large special election

Beyond the party primaries, there is one election open to all voters – a special election for at-large Council.

Three candidates are running – incumbent Doni Crawford, who was appointed to fill the seat until the special election; former Councilmember Elissa Silverman; and State Board of Education Representative Jacque Patterson.

Notably, Crawford and Patterson cross-endorsed each other – releasing a joint video with a graphic showing how voters can rank them both on the ballot. Some campaign literature has highlighted both candidates, though they are seeking the same office.

Democratic Ward 1 primary

Five Democrats are vying to represent Ward 1, where incumbent Brianne Nadeau is not running for re-election. The race made headlines in May when Miguel Trindade Deramo and Rashida Brown became the first DC candidates to cross-endorse each other.

The other Ward 1 candidates – Aparna Raj, Jackie Reyes Yanes, and Terry Lynch – have also produced RCV education videos, discussed how RCV has “led to a friendlier election environment,” or publicly supported RCV’s implementation.

FairVote is a nonpartisan election reform organization with no opinion on candidates for office. This analysis of Washington, DC’s ranked choice voting elections is for informational purposes only.