Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Oct. 14, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
In today’s newsletter: Ranked-choice voting headaches, jury nullification and D.C.’s first dedicated padel facility.
Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 6/10. Temperatures threaten record highs for the date. Fortunately, October warmth doesn’t have the sizzle of midsummer heat. Full forecast from Capital Weather.
THE LATEST
Trending
Opening your D.C. mail-in ballot this week? If you’re scratching your head over how ranking choices works in an at-large race with two winners, you’re far from alone.
District residents used ranked-choice voting in June’s primary, but The Washington Sun’s Michael Brice-Saddler reports that applying the system to a multiseat race in the general election brings a mathematical twist. To satisfy the Home Rule Charter’s mandate that an at-large seat go to a non-majority party, the District combines the two open seats onto a single ballot grid. Because standard ranked choice rules only allow one active vote per ballot at a time, a top choice winning the first seat locks the ballot, meaning secondary choices for the second at-large seat are never counted.
This new math has shifted campaign strategies for at-large candidates, leading frontrunners like incumbent council member Elissa Silverman and Democratic nominee Oye Owolewa to urge voters to rank them first.
D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson floated an emergency fix over the summer, but pulled the measure following pushback from architects of Initiative 83, the ballot measure that brought ranked-choice voting to the District. Meanwhile, the Board of Elections says its educational mailers are running behind due to contracting red tape, leaving some frustrated residents to decipher the new system as voting gets underway.
DEEP DIVE
House Republicans have launched an investigation into D.C. activists over the practice of “jury nullification,” The Sun’s Jenny Gathright reports.
The investigation is so far targeting two D.C. organizations, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and Free D.C., which have hosted trainings for potential D.C. jurors. Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), who chairs the House Oversight Committee, alleges the groups are advocating for the long-debated practice of jury nullification, which happens when a juror opts to acquit someone — even if they think the accused person is technically guilty — because they object to the law or to the decision by prosecutors to charge the person.
Discourse around jury nullification in D.C. took on steam last year after a streak of cases where grand juries declined to indict people who had been arrested for allegedly assaulting federal officers. Perhaps the most high-profile of those cases involved the so-called “sandwich guy,” who became a symbol of D.C.’s anti-Trump resistance after he hurled a sandwich at a federal agent in a self-described act of protest.
FROM THE DISTRICT
Increased demand and unseasonably warm weather has prompted difficult circumstances for PJM Interconnection, the main supplier of electricity for the Washington region and a good portion of the mid-Atlantic. PJM says it is taking steps to ensure that there’s no interruption in electric supply, including putting off planned maintenance work that often takes place during the fall months and working with big users of electricity to decrease their immediate demand. Regulators in D.C. tell The Sun that rolling blackouts are not expected in the region.
A tree better not fall, or else. That was the message from U.S. Judge Ana C. Reyes on Tuesday, when she issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from cutting down any more trees at East Potomac Park. She also mandated a three-day advance notice on “any irreparable modification to any permanent form or feature of the East Potomac Golf Course.” The order follows a scathing hearing Monday where she accused the Trump administration of misleading her on its evolving plans for the golf course.
A group of congressional Democrats is asking the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Department to stop using an AI tool to assist with D.C.-area flight management, concerned that Congress has not received safety evaluations, testing reports or information about how workers were trained to use the technology, The Sun’s Michelle Del Rey reports.
Padel to the metal: The city’s first dedicated padel facility — Capital City Padel Club — will open this spring at Bridge District in Southeast D.C. The club will feature three outdoor courts and clinics for players of all skill levels.
The D.C. Council is considering more oversight at Saint Elizabeths Hospital, as the Southeast D.C. psychiatric facility continues to face safety and financial issues, The Washington Business Journal reports.
FROM VIRGINIA
Virginia voters are casting ballots early in greater numbers than in the last midterms, with less than a month to go before Election Day. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, 531,375 Virginians have voted early as of Oct. 12, nearly double the number who voted by that point in 2022.
FROM MARYLAND
Education leaders in Montgomery County spoke at Tuesday’s County Council meeting in favor of a bill that would establish a $2,500 property tax credit for public school employees who own a home in the county, The Sun’s Justice Covert reports.
The Montgomery County Board of Education vice president, Brenda Wolff, told council members the board does “everything it can to provide fair and competitive wages, but there is a limit to what is possible on our end,” suggesting the council and board combine their efforts to address increasing inflation. The bill moved to a work session scheduled for Oct. 29.
PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
For early trick-or-treaters: Boo at the Zoo, Friday through Sunday.
For global music fans: Tregaron Unplugged at Tregaron Conservancy, Saturday.
For collectors: Worldwide Art & Book Fair at the State Department, Saturday and Sunday.
For more info on this weekend’s events, read our weekly culture calendar here.
SPORTS
Less than two weeks into a new season, the new-look Caps have offered quite a bit for fans to enjoy. The Sun’s Emma Baccellieri reports that many of Washington’s new additions are playing well and there are times when the team looks like a legitimate contender. But early season games have also exposed some issues, including a lack of depth on defense and a power play that needs work.
Fall sports season continues and The Sun’s Noah Ferguson is keeping tabs on the area’s best high school talent — see his latest selections for All-DMV players of the week in volleyball and soccer.
What to Watch Today
NHL: Capitals vs. Canadiens, 7:30 p.m. (Monumental)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Gaby Morera Di Núbila.
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