ACLU-D.C. Calls Primary Election “A Powerful Day for Local Democracy”

WASHINGTON – The District of Columbia held its first primary election with ranked-choice voting. Polls are closed, and initial vote numbers have been released. Final results, including all mail-in ballots and ranked choice tallies, could take days.

In response, Monica Hopkins, Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia (ACLU-D.C.), said:

“In a powerful day for local democracy, D.C. residents from all eight wards turned out to vote in a fair and free election with a new system of ranked-choice voting.

The D.C. Board of Elections is now carefully counting every ballot, and we will soon have the certified results. Democracy demands that we count every vote, and that can take time. As we wait for the results to be certified, we remind everyone that we have the right to free and fair elections without interference from politicians who are afraid of the results.

D.C. residents voted in this primary election during a historic moment when extremist politicians have targeted the people of D.C. with unprecedented attacks on our ability to govern ourselves. Thousands of armed troops continue to patrol our streets against our will, and members of Congress continue to introduce bills to micromanage and undermine our local government.

But today, some of these clouds parted, and the light of democracy shone through. This election showed that, like Americans in any other state, the people of D.C. deserve the right to govern ourselves. We look forward to the certified election results and the general election.”