How to Vote in the November 3, 2026 D.C. General Election

Voting is one of our most fundamental rights, and the general election is on November 3, 2026. At ACLU-D.C., we work to build a just and free D.C. where all people can exercise their civil rights and liberties. However you plan to vote, make civil rights and liberties a priority when you cast your ballot this November.

Here is everything you need to know to vote: D.C. voter registration, ranked-choice voting, polling locations, early voting, mail-in and drop-off ballots – we’ve got you covered.

D.C. residents who will be at least 18 years old by November 3, 2026 can vote in the general election.

Both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens can register to vote. To register, you must:

• be at least 17 years old (you can vote in a primary election if you will be at least 18 years old by November 3, 2026);
• have claimed residency in the District of Columbia since at least October 4, 2026;
• not claim residency or be registered to vote anywhere else;
• not have been found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote.

District residents who are U.S. citizens and 16 years old can pre-register to vote (but cannot vote in the general election until they turn 18 years old).

D.C. residents who are incarcerated may also register to vote, even if they are held outside the District. The District of Columbia Board of Elections is required to provide D.C. residents incarcerated in the custody of the D.C. Department of Corrections and the federal Bureau of Prisons with voter registration materials.

Check your voter registration status here on the DC Board of Elections website.

If you are incarcerated, you can contact the DC Board of Elections at 202-727-2525 or via Corrlinks at [email protected] to confirm that your application was received.

If you are a U.S. citizen, you can register to vote or update your registration in any of these ways by October 13:

• register online here;
• with a registration form. You can get a registration form online, at the DC Board of Elections office, or at most D.C. public libraries. Submit your completed form either by mail (DC Board of Elections, 1015 Half St SE #750, Washington, DC 20003), in person, by fax (202-347-2648), or by email ([email protected]).

If you are not a U.S. citizen, you can register to vote or update your registration in any of these ways by May 26:

• register online here;
• with a registration form. You can get a registration form online, at the DC Board of Elections office, or at most D.C. public libraries. Submit your completed form either by mail (DC Board of Elections, 1015 Half St SE #750, Washington, DC 20003), in person, by fax (202-347-2648), or by email ([email protected]).

If you miss the October 13 deadline, both U.S. citizens and non-citizens can register when you vote during early voting (Monday, October 26, 2026 – Sunday, November 1, 2026) or on election day (November 3). Just bring proof of D.C. residency with you (see acceptable documents for citizens here and acceptable documents for non-citizens here) when you go to vote.

If you are incarcerated at the D.C. Jail, you can register to vote or update your registration in any of these ways:

• with a registration form by October 13. You can request a registration form by mail (DC Board of Elections, 1015 Half St SE #750, Washington, DC 20003). Submit your completed application by mail; the office must receive your application by October 13. Contact the DC Board of Elections at 202-727-2525 or via Corrlinks at [email protected] to confirm that your application was received.
• in person when you vote at the D.C. Jail.

If you are incarcerated at a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, you can register to vote or update your registration:

• By contacting the DC Board of Elections at [email protected] via Corrlinks. Contact the DC Board of Elections at 202-727-2525 or via Corrlinks at [email protected] to confirm that your application was received.

People who are incarcerated and who have a disability that makes it hard to vote may email [email protected] or call collect at (202) 800-6190 to request accommodation.

Stay tuned for candidate answers to our questionnaire! We will be asking D.C. candidates their positions on the critical issues affecting justice and freedom in the District – criminal justice reform, our First Amendment rights, D.C. statehood, and freedom from discrimination.

These local races are on the ballot this election:

• D.C. Mayor
• D.C. Attorney General
• D.C. Council Chair (represents the whole District and leads the D.C. Council)
• At-Large Councilmember (represents the whole District on the D.C. Council)
• Ward 1 Councilmember
• Ward 3 Councilmember
• Ward 5 Councilmember
• Ward 6 Councilmember
• Independent At-Large Councilmember (represents the whole District on the D.C. Council)
• Ward 1 State Board of Education Member
• Ward 3 State Board of Education Member
• Ward 5 State Board of Education Member
• Ward 6 State Board of Education Member
• Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners across the District

The following federal races are also on the ballot in this election:

• Delegate to the United States House of Representatives
• United States Senator

This election, D.C. voters will use ranked-choice voting. Instead of voting for just one candidate, you can choose to rank between one and five candidates for each office, in order of preference. Rank your favorite candidate as your 1st choice, your second favorite as your 2nd choice, and so on.

If no one candidate gets over 50% of the votes in the first round of counting, lower-performing candidates are eliminated and votes for them are redistributed until one candidate gets more than 50% of the vote.

Check out this video explaining how to complete a ranked-choice ballot.

All active registered D.C. voters and incarcerated voters who have registered to vote will receive a ballot in the mail. The DC Board of Elections plans to start mailing ballots on September 28.

• You can track your ballot here.
• Complete and sign your ballot, and then mail it (paid postage is included) by November 3.
• Review mail ballot instructions here.
• The ballot must be postmarked or have some other proof you mailed it by November 3, and it must arrive by November 13.
• You can contact the DC Board of Elections at 202-727-2525 or via Corrlinks at [email protected] to confirm that your ballot was received.

All active registered D.C. voters will receive a ballot in the mail. The DC Board of Elections plans to start mailing ballots on September 28. You can track your ballot here.

Drop boxes are tentatively scheduled to open on October 9.

• Review mail ballot instructions here.
• Complete and sign your ballot.
• Drop it in a drop box by 8pm on November 3.

Monday, October 26 – Sunday, November 1, 8:30am–7:00pm

Go to an Early Vote Center between 8:30am–7:00 pm and vote by paper or electronic ballot.

You don’t need to bring any specific form of ID to vote in person, but if you are doing same-day voter registration, bring proof of D.C. residency with you (see acceptable documents for citizens here and acceptable documents for non-citizens here).

November 3, 7:00am–8:00pm

Go to any Vote Center regardless of your address, between 7:00am–8:00pm, and vote by paper or electronic ballot. As long as you are in line by 8:00pm, you will be allowed to vote.

You don’t need to bring any specific form of ID to vote in person, but if you are doing same-day voter registration, bring proof of D.C. residency with you (see acceptable documents for citizens here and acceptable documents for non-citizens here) .

If you are incarcerated at the D.C. Jail, you can vote in person at the D.C. Jail during voting days.