DC primary voter guide 2022

It’s a big year for D.C. politics.

June 21 is Primary Day. District voters will choose who they want to be on their party’s ticket for congressional delegate, mayor, attorney general and a slew of D.C. Council seats.

Granted, in a deep-blue city such as D.C., Democratic primary winners are all but assured their position.

Here’s everything you need to know.



When do I get my ballot?

The D.C. Board of Elections started sending ballots to registered voters this week.

Sample ballots are online.

Most registered voters will receive a ballot.

Since it’s a primary and not a general election, voters who are registered as an “independent” will not receive a ballot. Only those registered in one of the four major parties will be able to participate.

Where and when to vote

Early Vote Centers are open from June 10 to June 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Vote Centers are open Primary Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The District has a searchable map online for voters.

You’ll also be able to check “The Queue” at dcboe.org to see real-time wait times at Early Vote Centers.

D.C.’s mail ballot drop boxes open on May 27 and are available until 8 p.m. on June 21. Here are the ballot drop box locations in D.C. Voters can drop a mail-in ballot at any box.

Need to register?

You can register online and the D.C. Board of Elections provides registration forms.

Here are some notable dates.

  • Deadline for uniformed and overseas citizens absentee (UOCAVA) voters to request an Absentee Ballot: June 18, by 4:45 p.m.
  • Deadline for DCBOE to receive voter Absentee Ballots: June 28

You can register same-day at any Early Vote Center from June 10 to June 21 with proof of residence. Note that Early Vote Centers will be closed on June 20 in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.

Candidates*

Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives

Democrat

Republican

D.C.’s delegate is a nonvoting member of the House.

Mayor

Democrat

Republican

Attorney General

Democrat

No Republicans are running.

D.C. Council Chair

Democrat

Republican

At-Large Member of the Council

Democrat

Republican

Ward 1 Member of the Council

Democrat

No Republicans are running.

Ward 3 Member of the Council

Democrat

Republican

Ward 5 Member of the Council

Democrat

Republican

  • Clarence Lee Jr.

Ward 6 Member of the Council

Council member Charles Allen is running unopposed.

Shadow Representative

Shadow representatives are recognized by D.C., but not officially sworn into Congress or seated in the House.

Democrat

*WTOP is listing primary candidates named by the D.C. Board of Elections.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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