Washington Council Member Robert White Races to Secure Delegate Eligibility as 1970 Law Looms

Washington, D.C. Council member Robert White's bid for the District's nonvoting delegate seat in the U.S. House has run into a 1970 law: the delegate may not hold any other paid public office at the time of election, and White still holds his Council seat. According to City Cast DC and The Washington Sun on October 27, White's team is working through options days before the November 3 general election.

One old law, two ways out

White won the Democratic primary in June and had been expected to succeed outgoing Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton smoothly. Under the old provision, he must either resign from the Council, giving up his final months in office, or persuade his colleagues to change the law before the election, which would require emergency Council action. White told The Washington Sun his team is working through a few options, saying the issue is not new to him and that they have long had a legal theory on it. He said he recently received a reading from the D.C. attorney general that he disagreed with and did not expect, and that the team is awaiting further clarity before announcing a final plan.

Election officials: resigning before Election Day suffices

Sarah Graham, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Board of Elections, said White is eligible to run under current law so long as he resigns before Election Day. Meanwhile, the Council chair's office has asked members whether bills from the housing committee White chairs should be moved to the chair's committee so they still stand a chance of passing. The eligibility issue was first reported by City Cast DC and The Washington Post. Whether White resigns or pushes emergency legislation in the coming days will decide whether a race seen as safe takes an unexpected turn.