Special Election for ANC 2B-05: Will a Handful of Votes Decide It?
From David McAuley. Email him at david[AT]borderstan.com
A March 13 special election will fill the ANC 2B-05 seat. (Luis Gomez Photos)
There will be a special election March 13 to fill a vacant seat on the Dupont-area Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B. The Single Member District (SMD) 05 seat fell vacant after unchallenged incumbent Victor Wexler withdrew his candidacy before the last November’s election.
It seems probable that a small number of votes will decide the election. SMDs each have about 2,000 people. The most hotly-contested ANC races appearing on November ballots rarely get more than 900 voters.
The number of voters is often far below that, and the margins of victory are very small. Moreover, special elections for ANC seats sometimes draw no more than 100 voters.
In this case, a nearby DC Council At-Large Special Election forum, which will be held on the same night, might further drain off voters who take a special interest in local politics.
Two Candidates Running for Seat
Two candidates are vying for the seat: Abigail Nichols and Dito Sevilla. (Full disclosure: Dito Sevilla is a Borderstan contributor.)
The election will take place on the sidelines of ANC 2B’s regular monthly meeting at the Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW. Polls will be open from 7:15 pm to 9:30 pm only. You must be a registered voter in District ANC 2B-05 to vote.
SMD ANC 2B-05 is bordered by H Street on the south, Corcoran Street on the north, and 15th Street on the east. The western border is a jagged line which, from the south of the district, runs up 17th Street to Connecticut Avenue to 18th Street, before turning east on Massachusetts Avenue for one block and north again on 17th Street.
Click for a larger map of ANC 2B-05. (DC Citizen Atlas)
Election manager Gottlieb Simon from ANC 2B said that voters would be required either to have their names appear on a list provided by the DC Board of Election and Ethics (DCBOEE) or provide a valid DC Voter Registration Card in order to vote.
It is too late for unregistered votes to register by mail or online, but voters who register in person during normal business hours at DCBOEE offices (441 4th Street NW, Suite 250 North) and get a Voter Registration Card will be eligible to vote. There is no absentee voting for this election.
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