WASHINGTON — We're days away from the 2020 general election. D.C. residents who are registered to vote were mailed absentee ballots at the beginning of October without being required to request them.
Mass distribution of absentee ballots is one of many changes that election officials made to make it safer and easier to vote during the coronavirus pandemic.
Aside from having the ballots mailed directly to every registered voters’ home, there are also drop boxes, voting centers instead of precincts, and the push to get votes in as early as possible.
“My one message that I want to leave everybody with is vote early,” Michael Bennett, Chair of the D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE), said.
According to the DCBOE website, the independent agency of the District government is responsible for the administration of elections, ballot access, and voter registration.
Bennett and the Board were criticized for a series of challenges during the 2020 primary election, such as long lines and extended wait times.
“Doing the absentee ballot process – it just didn’t scale very well. That was one thing, but we also only had six to seven weeks to plan what normally takes two years,” Bennett explained. “Part of what I think was important was that we didn’t really message as well. I’ll take complete responsibility for that. I didn’t message as well as we should have relative to early voting.”
Staffers at DCBOE have done extensive work to increase voter access for the general election.
The election board has added more workers to process the surge of absentee ballots expected for the election.
Whether voters decide to drop their ballots in the mail or put it in a dropbox, Bennett said it is important for people to follow instructions to make sure their votes count.
“Make sure you mark the candidates you select carefully. Use a black or blue pen. Don’t do a checkmark or an ‘X.’ You have to fill in the circle or the oval. Slip it into the envelope. Sign where it is required to sign.”
Each ballot packet that voters receive in the mail should include the following:
- Your Ballot (1)
- A Secrecy Sleeve (2)
- A Postage Prepaid Return Ballot Envelope (3)
- An Instruction Sheet with “I Voted” Sticker (4)
Voters are not required to vote in every contest on the ballot.
If you make a mistake on your ballot or misplace your voting materials, contact DCBOE at 1-866-DCVOTES (1-866-328-6837) to discuss your options.
Following the instructions is important information to prevent your ballot from being rejected.
If you want to vote in person, early voting begins on Tuesday, Oct. 27 through Nov. 2.
Instead of voting at assigned precincts like in past years, DCBOE will open 32 vote centers for early voting.
“A vote center is different than a precinct. It doesn’t matter where you live. You can vote there,” Bennett said.
There will also be six super vote centers open throughout the election week that will allow poll workers to take a larger number of people.
There will be a total of 95 vote centers open across the city on Election Day.
“We have turned over every rock that we can see to try to make sure things go smoothly and efficiently,” Bennett applauded the work of the DCBOE staff.
Voters in the District will be deciding on several races outside of the U.S. President which include the following:
Delegate for the U.S. House of Representatives
- D.C. City Council At-Large (2)
- D.C. City Council Ward 2
- D.C. City Council Ward 4
- D.C. City Council Ward 8
- D.C. State Board of Education At-Large
- D.C. State Board of Education Ward 2
- D.C. State Board of Education Ward 7
- D.C. State Board of Education Ward 8 and more.
District residents will also be deciding on Initiative 81: Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Act (Magic Mushrooms & Psychedelic Plants).
Initiative 81 seeks to make enforcement of D.C.’s drug laws against psilocybin mushrooms and psychedelic plants the police department’s lowest priority. It also calls upon the city’s attorney general and the U.S. Attorney for D.C. to “cease prosecution of residents of the District of Columbia for these activities.”
Initiative 81 does not make it legal to use mushrooms or other psychedelics but makes the policing and prosecution of them a low priority.
If you plan to vote by mail, the ballot must be postmarked by Nov. 3.