The DC Board of Elections & Ethics has purged almost 94,000 “inactive” voters the rolls. Is your name on the list? This list is in a PDF document at the BOEE site (use the search function, there are 1,737 pages).
“None of these voters has cast a ballot in the District in at least eight years, nor responded to repeated notices from our office,” said Board spokesperson Alysoun McLaughlin. “In addition, our mail to each one of these individuals has been returned undeliverable from the U.S. Postal Service, suggesting that they no longer live at the address where they originally registered.”
What’s the next step if you were removed from the voter rolls or if you are simply not registered to vote? DCBOEE says:
District residents are encouraged to register to vote or update their registration using the Board’s online tool at www.dcboee.org and to submit their completed voter registration application by mail by August 16, 2010. Between August 17 and August 30, residents can only register in person at the Board’s office. Once early voting begins on August 30 and at the polls on Election Day, residents can only register and cast a ballot if they bring with them a current photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, or government document listing their current address. Those individuals will be required to cast a special ballot, which will only be counted if the Board verifies that the voter meets all qualifications and has provided proper proof of residence.
To vote in the September 14 DC primary election, you must be registered in the party of your choice. If you do not pick a party, you cannot vote in the primary. (DC Board of Elections and Ethics)
Last week’s Poll of the Week at Borderstan asked readers their political party affiliation. The results are fairly close to overall Ward 2 numbers: 62% of readers said they are Democrats, 15% are Republicans, 3% claim Statehood Green Party status and 20% are independents. The numbers for Ward 2 and for all of DC are below.
Party registration is important in DC because we have closed political primaries. For example, if you are planning to vote in the Democratic Primary on September 14, you must be a registered Democrat. Unlike states with open primaries, you do not simply walk into your polling place on primary day and ask for the party ballot of your choice. Moreover, if you have no party affiliation, you cannot vote in a DC party primary.
There are three political parties with primary elections in DC: Democratic, Republican and Statehood Green. If you are planning to vote in the September 14 primary in DC, you need to be registered as a member of the party of your choice. Otherwise, you cannot vote until the November 2 general election. The DC Board of Elections and Ethics has more information.
The problem with the closed primary system in DC is that this is essentially a one-party state–the action almost always happens in the Democratic Party. Some people who only occasionally vote for Democrats in the general election–or who are true independents–still register as Democrats so they can have some say in who will end up winning an office.
Ward 2 Voter Registration
- Democrat: 65%
- Republican: 12%
- Statehood Green: <1%
- No Party Affiliation: 22% (independent)
District of Columbia Voter Registration
- Democrat: 75%
- Republican: 7%
- Statehood Green :1%
- No Party Affiliation: 17% (independent)
If you plan to vote in the general election on Tuesday, November 4 in D.C., the voter registration deadline is Monday, October 6. Details here at the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics.
Remember: If you don’t vote, you shouldn’t complain about the “politicians.”
