Who and what’s on the ballot in Ward 3? Your ultra-local DC primary voting guide

by Marlene Berlin

If you’re a DC registered voter, you’ve likely received the primary election Voter Guide from the DC Board of Elections by now. And if you’re like many of us, it’s been sitting in a stack of mail, unopened.

We’re here to help, with your Ward 3 guide to the June 19th primary election.

It’s time to think about voting for candidates running for U.S. House Delegate and local offices. The local officials are the people making decisions on schools, policing, affordable housing, water quality of our streams, how our city grows and more. These are the people who have the most immediate impact on our daily lives.

In DC, the primary is often the one that decides the outcome of the general election in November. Take the time to look at these major races and follow the links for information about candidates. Websites for those candidates who have them will contain their positions and endorsements.

And on June 19th, everyone will be voting on Initiative 77, which would raise the minimum wage in DC to $15 per hour by 2020, and gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to match.

When does voting start?

Early voting begins Monday, June 4th at One Judiciary Square. Then, from June 8th through the 15th, early voting centers will be open in each ward from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Ward 3 location is the Chevy Chase Community Center (5601 Connecticut Avenue).

On Tuesday, June 19th, the polls open at 7 a.m. for the primary election and close at 8 p.m. Click here to find your local voting precinct and location.

You can also request an absentee ballot, for any reason. The deadline for requests is June 11th. Here are the instructions.

Registering to vote

In order to vote for candidates in a DC primary you have to be registered to vote in one of four parties:

• Democrat
• Republican
• DC Statehood Green
• Libertarian

Independents do not get to vote in primaries for elected officials. (Ballot initiatives are another story.) And the primary election often decides the outcome in November. An option is to register for one party for the primary and switch your party for the general election.

You can register online and by mail until May 29th. After that, you can register on the same day you vote, whether its during early voting or Election Day. For more information about how to register, click here.

Major races for Ward 3 voters

Delegate to the House of Representatives

Democrat:

• Kim Ford
• Eleanor Holmes Norton

DC Statehood Green: Natalie “Lino” Stracuzzi

Libertarian: Bruce Majors

DC Mayor

Democrat:

• James Butler
• Ernest E. Johnson
• Muriel Bowser

DC Statehood Green: Ann C. Wilcox

Libertarian: Martin Moulton

Chair of the DC Council

Democrat:

• Ed Lazare
• Phil Mendelson

At-Large Council Member

Democrat:

• Jeremiah Lowry
• Anita Bonds
• Marcus Goodwin

Statehood Green Party: David Schwatrzman

Libertarian: Denise Hicks

Ward 3 Council member

Democrat: Mary Cheh

Attorney General

Democrat: Karl A. Racine

To find out about more races, click here.

Initiative 77

All voters, regardless of party affiliation, will get to vote on the “District of Columbia Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2017.” As summarized in the Voter Guide, this initiative, if enacted, will:

• Gradually increase the minimum wage in the District of Columbia to $15.00 hourly
  by 2020 (it’s currently $12.50);
• Gradually increase the minimum wage for tipped employees so that they receive
  the same minimum wage directly from their employer as other employees by 2026 (it’s currently $3.33);
• Beginning in 2021, require the minimum wage to increase yearly in proportion to
  increases in the Consumer Price Index.

Washingtonian explains who’s for Initiative 77, who’s against, and how this could affect restaurant patrons. WAMU listeners recently weighed in on the pros and cons of this initiative.