Voting in District of Columbia

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All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail in the District of Columbia; no excuse is needed.

DC offers in-person early voting. No excuse is needed to vote early. Early voting begins no more than 12 days before the election. Early vote locations and hours of operation are set by the DC Board of Elections.

D.C. has closed primaries. Voters registered with a particular party may only vote in that party's primary. 17-year-olds can vote in the primary election if they will be 18 by the corresponding general election.

ID is not required to vote in D.C. However, some polling places require ID to enter the facility. It is therefore encouraged that you take some form of identification with you to vote.

You must also show proof of residence if you are a first-time voter who did not submit ID upon registration, or if you are registering during the early voting period or on Election Day. Valid forms of proof of residence include:
- Copy and valid District of Columbia DMV-issued ID
- Government check or paycheck (the issue date must be within 90 days of Election Day)
- Bank statement (the statement date must be within 90 days of Election Day)
- Current utility bill (does not include cell phone; the bill date must be within 90 days of Election Day)
- Student housing statement/tuition bill
- Homeless shelter occupancy statement
- Lease
- Other government document that shows your name and address

If you were required to show ID but go to your polling place without an approved form of ID, you can cast a Special Ballot. At 5:00 pm on the second day after each election, you can go to the Board’s website, www.dcboe.org, or call 1-866-DC VOTES (1-866-328-6837), to learn of the Board’s preliminary determination to either count or reject your Special Ballot. If necessary, you may challenge the Board’s decision not to count your Special Ballot by scheduling a hearing that will take place on the Thursday after Election Day.