Important May deadlines for voters in the June 2 DC primary

A protest vote in 1938, when DC residents couldn’t even vote for the president of the United States. (Library of Congress photo)

by Marlene Berlin

May 12: The last day to register online to vote in the DC primary election, or to change your party affiliation online. You can do both at Vote4DC.com.

If you miss this deadline, you will miss your chance to request a mail-in ballot (more on that below). But you will not miss your chance to vote. There is same-day registration during in-person voting beginning May 22nd. The 2020 Primary Election Voter Guide tells you which documents you need to bring.

By May 26: Request your mail-in ballot.

If you’re registered, you should have received your voter guide in the mail by now. Inside are two applications for a mail-in ballot. You can also request a ballot online. Also, you can get it by filling out the application on line, printing it, signing and scanning, faxing or mailing it in. All the directions and the form are here

May 22-June 2: In-person voting. Do not head to your usual polling place. The District is opening 20 “Vote Centers” for the primary, including on June 2nd. They will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day except for Memorial Day, when they will be closed, and on June 2nd, when they will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The two Ward 3 locations are Murch Elementary (4810 36th Street, west of Connecticut Avenue between Davenport and Everett Streets (map) and Oyster Adams Bilingual (2801 Calvert Street, west of Connecticut Avenue (map).

The DC Board of Elections is asking in-person voters to observe staggered voting using the first letter of their last name. For example, on May 27th, people whose surnames begin with the letters A through L would vote between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Those with M-L surnames would vote from 1:30 to 7 p.m.

Don’t forget to bring your mask, and if you can, bring gloves.

By June 2: Study the Voter Guide. There is a ton on information about voting and sample ballots for each party registration – Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and DC Statehood. These sample ballots can be found on pages 15-50. Residents of Ward 3 will be voting for the following:

• Presidential nominee
• Delegate for the House (non-voting on the House floor, but can vote in Committee)
• At-Large Council member
• U.S. Senator (non-voting)
• U.S. Representative (non-voting)
• And Republicans and Libertarians will vote for local party offices.

If you are a registered Democrat, sign up to vote in the DC Democratic Delegate Election by May 15. Once you sign up using this link and your eligibility is verified, you will be emailed an encrypted electronic ballot. Voting is open until May 21st at 11:59 p.m.

Who are you voting for? The delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The DC Democratic Party website has more information.