With the District’s general election only two weeks away, now is the time to decide how you’ll vote.
Most of the District’s roughly 390,000 registered voters — those that choose to vote at least — will head to the polls Nov. 7. But for travelers, the ill and the disabled, the 15-day window to vote absentee is now open.
Absentee balloting kicked off Monday at the Board of Elections and Ethics headquarters. But voting absentee in Washington isn’t as simple as filling out a form: You’ll need a justification.
“It can’t be ‘I’m going to be working that day,’” said Bill O’Field, spokesman for the Board of Elections and Ethics. “You’ve got to have a reason.”
The only acceptable reasons are “illness, physical disability or travel.”
D.C. voters will be electing their next mayor, choosing between Democrat Adrian Fenty, Republican Dave Kranich and Statehood Green Chris Otten. Vincent Gray, the Democratic nominee for D.C. Council chair, is unopposed.
Two at large council seats are up for grabs, as are the council seats in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6. The city’s shadow U.S. House and Senate positions are contested, and residents will be choosing their advisory neighborhood commissioners.
To receive an absentee ballot by mail, visit www.dcboee.org for a request form. Requests must be delivered in writing and reach the board by Oct. 31. To vote in person, visit 441 Fourth St. NW, Suite 250 North, during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
