Washington, D.C.‘s 2026 election cycle will feature ranked choice voting and fresh faces, with longtime politicians opting out of reelection. 

Alaska and Maine are the only states that use ranked choice voting, which allows voters to choose candidates in order of preference. If a candidate doesn’t receive a majority of first-choice votes, the votes are then reallocated in rounds until a candidate seals a majority. Washington, D.C., passed a ballot measure that adopted ranked choice voting in 2024.