Washington Election Day guide: open mayoral race, ranked-choice voting debut, foie gras ban on the ballot

Washington, D.C. voters head to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, to choose the District's next mayor, a council chair, two at-large council members, an attorney general and a nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House, and to decide a ban on foie gras. Voting centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line by 8 p.m. can still vote. The mayor's seat is open because Mayor Muriel Bowser is not seeking reelection. (Cover photo is a file photo of the Washington skyline.)

Three-way mayoral race; delegate seat open for the first time in 35 years

The mayoral candidates are Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat and Ward 4 councilmember who won the June Democratic primary and is considered the strong favorite; Rhonda Hamilton, an independent; and Robert L. Gross of the Statehood Green Party. The House delegate seat is open for the first time in 35 years after the retirement of Eleanor Holmes Norton; at-large Councilmember Robert White won the June Democratic primary for the position. The delegate can take part in debate and committee work but cannot cast a final vote on the House floor. For council chair, 14-year incumbent Phil Mendelson, a Democrat, faces Republican Abi-Ananiah Prudent.

Ranked-choice voting debuts; foie gras Initiative 86 on the ballot

This general election debuts ranked-choice voting in contests with three or more candidates, approved by voters through Initiative 83 in 2024: voters rank candidates from first to fifth choice, and officials eliminate the lowest vote-getters round by round until two winners remain. For the two at-large council seats, the District's 1973 Home Rule Act reserves seats for non-majority party members: Democrat Oye Owolewa, independent incumbent Elissa Silverman (who won a June special election), Republican Darrell Green and Statehood Green candidate Darryl Moch are competing. The ballot also carries Initiative 86, a resident-petitioned measure that would ban foie gras made by force-feeding ducks and geese through tubes and bar selling products made that way. Mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the Board of Elections by Friday, November 13, so the count can keep changing after Tuesday night until results are certified.