On the heels of a crowded June primary, D.C. voters might assume the city’s biggest political decisions are already in the books.
With Democrats holding a decisive registration advantage across the District, nominees Janeese Lewis George for mayor and Robert White for congressional delegate enter the Nov. 3 election as heavy favorites. Yet even frontrunners facing nominal competition say they are taking nothing for granted, routinely reminding supporters that they must still win the general election to secure victory.
The main event is the fight for two available at-large council seats.
That contest will work differently this year thanks to the general-election debut of ranked-choice voting — a structural shift that fundamentally alters how ballots are cast and counted.
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Add a citywide measure on restaurant menus to the mix, and D.C. voters still have plenty left to decide.
Here is your guide to what’s on the Nov. 3 ballot, how the new math functions and what you need to know before marking your grid.
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The At-Large Race and the New Math
The pick-two era is officially over. District voters have long been able to make two selections on their ballot for the two open at-large D.C. council seats. Under the city’s new ranked-choice voting system, voters now face a grid prompting them to rank candidates from first to fifth choice.
This shift has created a unique mathematical quirk in the general election.
To determine the two winners, election officials eliminate candidates with the lowest vote totals round by round until two remain. But because each ballot carries only one active vote at a time, a ballot locked on a winning frontrunner stays frozen — meaning your secondary rankings are never used to help select a second winner.
The dynamic stems from the District’s 1973 Home Rule Act, which reserves two of the council’s four at-large seats for non-majority party members. Combining those two seats into a single ranked race means a vote locked on a frontrunner swallows down-ballot influence for the second seat.
In deep-blue Washington, Democratic nominee Oye Owolewa is expected to draw a significant share of first-choice rankings. But Democrats whose votes stay locked with Owolewa effectively surrender their say in deciding which candidate claims the reserved non-majority seat.
That reality has altered traditional campaign strategies.
Independent incumbent Elissa Silverman — who won a June special election to fill the seat vacated by Kenyan McDuffie — has urged her supporters to rank her number one, explicitly warning that ranking a Democrat first impacts her chances.
Owolewa is countering by asking Democrats to lock in his victory as their top pick. Meanwhile, Republican Darrell Green and Statehood Green candidate Darryl Moch are competing for those same top-tier rankings in hopes of pulling off an upset.
Confusion caused by this change has been compounded by delays in voter education materials from the D.C. Board of Elections, which told The Washington Sun it faced procurement delays at the start of the fiscal year.
The Top of the Ticket
Other races on the general election ballot follow more traditional dynamics. In the mayoral contest, Lewis George is heavily favored to succeed retiring Mayor Muriel Bowser. She faces Independent Rhonda Hamilton and Statehood Green candidate Robert L. Gross.
In the race to succeed Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton as D.C.’s nonvoting voice in Congress, White faces Republican Denise Rosado and Statehood Green candidate Kymone Freeman.
Further down the ballot, two Democratic incumbents in citywide seats are seeking another term: Council Chairman Phil Mendelson faces Republican challenger Abi-Ananiah Prudent, while Attorney General Brian Schwalb defends his seat against Republican Manuel Rivera.
In the ward-level council races, three Democratic incumbents are defending their seats alongside one open-seat race:
- Ward 1: Democratic nominee Aparna Raj faces Republican Jett James Jasper, independent Ryan Prince and Statehood Green candidate Jude Crannitch.
- Ward 3: Incumbent Matthew Frumin is running unopposed.
- Ward 5: Incumbent Zachary Parker faces Republican Jeffrey Kihien-Palza and Statehood Green candidate Joyce Robinson-Paul.
- Ward 6: Three-term incumbent Charles Allen faces Republican Jorge Rice
Voters will also weigh in on the city’s nonvoting shadow U.S. senator and representative seats, as well as several distinct ward-level seats on the State Board of Education.
A Ballot Measure on Foie Gras
Voters will also decide on Initiative No. 86, officially titled the Prohibiting Force-Feeding of Birds Act of 2026. A “yes” vote supports banning the force-feeding of poultry to produce foie gras and prohibits sale or distribution of those products in the District.
How and When to Vote
Ballots were mailed to all registered D.C. voters in late September. You can return yours by mail — as long as it is postmarked by Election Day — or drop it into one of the city’s secure 24/7 ballot drop boxes.
- Early Voting: Runs daily from Monday, Oct. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 1 between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- Election Day: Vote centers are open Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Same-Day Registration: Available at any early voting center or Election Day polling place with proof of D.C. residence.
Polling locations and drop box sites can be found on the D.C. Board of Elections website.
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