DC voters cast ballots in mayoral, congressional races

WASHINGTON - Polls opened across Washington, D.C. on Tuesday as voters cast ballots in midterm elections featuring races for mayor, congressional delegate, attorney general and several council seats.

Voting centers across the District of Columbia opened at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. Under District rules, registered voters may cast a ballot at any vote center regardless of where they live. Voters are also utilizing ranked choice voting.

At the top of the local ballot, Democrat Janeese Lewis George enters the mayoral contest as the heavy favorite after winning her party’s primary with 54% of the vote. Lewis George, who has made defending the District’s limited autonomy a central part of her campaign, faces Statehood Green Party candidate Robert Gross, independent Rhonda Hamilton and a slate of write-in contenders.

MORE INFORMATION: DC Board of Elections

The winner will succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is concluding her third term and chose not to seek reelection.

Voters will also select the District’s next non-voting delegate to Congress. Democratic nominee Robert White resigned from his at-large D.C. Council seat on Monday following scrutiny over a statute barring a congressional delegate from holding another paid public office on Election Day.

White, who served on the council for a decade, said he disagrees with the provision that prompted his resignation and intends to seek changes to the law if elected.

Washington DC 2026 midterm election vote guide

Same-day registration

If you are not registered to vote, you may same-day register at any voting center on election day, as long as you have brought acceptable proof of residence. You will also be asked to complete a registration update form.

If you request a mail ballot packet, instructions on how to correctly fill them out and submit them can be found on the board of elections website. If you do not provide acceptable proof of residence, you will have to vote using a special ballot. You will then have until Thursday, Nov. 5, to present acceptable proof of residence to the D.C. Board of Elections.

While you can vote at any address on election day, you can find the voting center nearest to you by using the board of elections' online locator tool.

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polling places opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m. If you are in line by 8 p.m., you can still vote.

All ballots sent via mail must be postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 3, and received by Friday, Nov. 13, to be counted. A full list of mail ballot drop box locations can be found on the board of elections website.

Votes will begin being tallied after polls close on election day, and live results will be shared as they are counted. The D.C. Board of Elections will continue to update totals for ballots received until Friday, Nov. 13. Official election results are tentatively scheduled to be certified on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

If you would like to see a sample copy of your ballot ahead of election day, you can find one using the voter lookup on the board of elections website.

RELATED: Election Day 2026: What to know in DC, Maryland and Virginia

U.S. House of Representatives

Eleanor Holmes Norton is currently serving on the District of Columbia's non-voting House seat. She will not be running for re-election. Robert White is the Democratic nominee, competing with Republican Denise Rosado and Kymone Freeman as the D.C. Statehood Green party candidate.

Mayor

With Mayor Muriel Bowser's decision not to run for re-election, the position has opened to three candidates who will be on the ballot come election day. Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary in June and is heavily favored in the overwhelmingly blue city. She will be up against Robert L. Gross of the D.C. Statehood Green party and Rhonda Hamilton, running as an Independent.

Initiative 86

There will be one ballot initiative for D.C.'s midterm election this year. Initiative Measure No. 86 would prohibit the force-feeding of birds – a practice commonly used in the manufacturing of foie gras. In addition to the practice being banned, the sale and distribution of foie gras products would also be banned. The new law would be enforced by the Department of Energy and Environment and would result in civil penalties for infractions.

Attorney General

Brian Schwalb will defend his incumbency as the attorney general for D.C. The Democratic candidate has served in the opposition since January 2023. He is challenged by Republican candidate, Manuel Rivera.

Council of the District of Columbia

In addition to individual candidates running to represent D.C.'s various wards (namely Ward 1, Ward 3, Ward 5 and Ward 6), all ballots will include voting options for the chair of the council, and an at-large council member. The Democratic and incumbent candidate for chair, Phil Mendelson, has served in the position since 2012. He will be challenged by Republican candidate Abi-Ananiah Prudent and John C. Cheecks, running as an Independent. Competing for the at-large member seat will be Democratic candidate Oye Owolewa, Republican candidate Darrell Green, D.C. Statehood Green candidate Darryl Moch and Elissa Silverman, running as an Independent.

U.S. Shadow Senator and U.S. Shadow Representative

While D.C.'s shadow congresspersons lack congressional voting power, they are officials that seek recognition for the city and its citizens. Longtime incumbent Shadow Senator, Paul Strauss (D), will defend his position from Republican candidate Robert Simmons. The Shadow Representative role will be contested by Democratic candidate Franklin Garcia and Republican candidate Ciprian Ivanof.