Candidates for office are gearing up to ask for your vote. But first, they’d really like your signature.

In 1938, when this photo was taken, DC residents could not vote for the president of the United States. Members of the District League of Women Voters organized a protest vote. (Library of Congress photo)

by Marlene Berlin

In the middle of winter, another season is heating up: the election season.

Several candidates have launched mayoral races, or are running to be the next DC delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. And last Friday, the DC Board of Elections opened ballot access to candidates for the June 16th, 2026 primary election.

This means people seeking elected office can fill out paperwork to register their candidacy and pick up nominating petitions. It also means that once the snow clears (or sooner), candidates and their supporters will be canvassing for signatures on their petitions. You might see them at the farmers market, Metro stations and other public gathering places. Or, a neighbor who is supporting a particular candidate might come knocking on your door.

The Ward 3 primary election ballot will include candidates for DC delegate, mayor, Council chair, at-large Council member, and Ward 3 Council member. They have until March 18th to collect enough signatures from registered voters, and what counts as “enough” will vary. District-wide candidates such as mayor, at-large Council member, and attorney general typically need at least 2,000 signatures, or one percent of the voters that share their political affiliation, whichever is fewer. Ward-level races require 250 names.

Your signature on these petitions represents ballot access only. It is not a commitment to support or vote for that candidate. Some voters will sign anyone’s petitions. Others will want to know more about the candidate before signing.

To check on candidates, you can always search online for their websites. You can also see if they have qualified for the DC Office of Campaign Finance’s Fair Election Program, which provides public matching funds to candidates “that pledge to only accept small donations and forgo all corporate and PAC money.”

It’s more than a promise. Candidates for mayor, for example, cannot accept campaign donations larger than $200 from each donor. And to be certified, they must raise at least $40,000 in total, from 1,000 or more contributors.

The Fair Elections Program is voluntary, so not every name will appear. The Office of Campaign Finance also has a database of active candidates. And the Board of Elections keeps a running tally of candidates who have picked up and turned in their nominating petitions. (The link is BOE’s January 28th Excel download. For more up-to-date information, use the “List of Primary Election Candidates” link on the BOE’s 2026 elections page.)

The primary, the special election, and DC’s first ranked-choice voting experience

Primary elections – for candidates and voters alike – are only for those registered with one of the four official parties in DC – Democrat, Republican, DC Statehood Green Party and Libertarian. To even sign the nominating petition, you must be registered in the same party as the candidate.

So, independent voters are typically left out until the November general election. But not this time.

June 16th – primary day – is also the date of a special election to fill former At-Large Council member Kenyan McDuffie’s seat for the remainder of the term (through year’s end). At last check, ten candidates had picked up nominating petitions (an January 27th Excel download from the Board of Elections).

If at least three of the candidates’ names appear on the special election ballot, all registered voters will have the opportunity to select the winner through ranked-choice voting.

This method will be a first for DC voters, and the BOE has a helpful explanation of how it works, both while marking the ballot and while tallying the votes.