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From the White House down to the Wilson Building, D.C. residents have some big decisions to make Tuesday as the city’s primary election gets underway. In D.C., voting centers in all eight wards will open for any resident to vote.
“Anyone can vote anywhere, regardless of residence,” said Monica Evans, executive director of the D.C. Board of Elections.
For voters, Evans said, you just need to show up and provide information that allows staff to see you’re registered to vote. If you are not registered, same-day registration will be available. When registering, you’ll need to provide proof of residence, which can be a driver’s license, a utility bill or bank statement, among other options.
“If there is a same-day registration who comes in, does not have that form of ID, they can cast a special provisional ballot, and then ‘cure’ that ballot by bringing in or submitting the requisite residency information,” she said.
Also in D.C., every resident was sent a mail-in ballot, so those can be dropped off at voting centers as well.
This year marks the first time that D.C. has allowed noncitizen voters to cast ballots for local elections. Evans said those individuals will notice a similar process, but will be given a ballot that has an “L” on it, which means it will only include local races and initiatives.
News that noncitizens would be allowed to vote led to some threats and angry messages to the Board of Elections. On Sunday, Evans said a message in chalk was also left outside of an early voting site.
“There was a chalked message supporting only having citizens vote in elections and it was signed ‘Promise Keepers,’” Evans said.
She said the threats and messages have resulted in the Board of Elections beefing up security around polling sites, the elections headquarters and its operations center.
“We’re just trying to do what we can to be proactive and make sure the proper security measures are in place,” Evans said.
She said she encourages voters to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious at polling places: “See something, say something. It’s never too small.”
She said there is a lot of work that goes into running a successful election. In D.C., there are 64 full-time employees and 150 seasonal staff members who help voters.
“I would just encourage people to come out early for those who enjoy voting on Election Day and want to vote in person. That’s always something that we advise. If you are in line at 8 p.m., when our vote centers close, you will be allowed to vote,” Evans said.
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