Ranked-Choice Voting Will Be Used in D.C.’s June 2026 Primary Election

By: Miriam Edelman

Officially, for the first time, Washington, D.C., voters will use ranked-choice voting in D.C.’s upcoming June 2026 primary elections. This piece follows up on DCNOW’s blog pieces, including “Initiative 83 is Law,” “Update on Ranked-Choice Voting in D.C.,” and “Another Update on Ranked-Choice Voting in D.C.”

On November 24, 2025, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, chaired by Anita Bonds, held a public roundtable on “Board of Elections: 2026 Primary and General Election Preparations.” Wendell Felder said:

“Let me start by saying I will never go against the will of voters. The people of Washington, D.C., have spoken through the passage of ranked choice voting ballot initiative, also known as I-83. By honoring the voters' decision does not mean rushing implementation. Honoring the will of voters meaning protecting voters access, voter understanding, and voter confidence. Especially for our seniors, first-time voters, individuals incarcerated, residents in assisted living facilities, and communities that have historically been disenfranchised in our election systems, particularly in wards 5, 7, and 8. We cannot talk about elections in this country without remembering the painful history of voter suppression. When people are denied their rights through literacy tests, language barriers, inaccessible ballots, confusing…procedures, and internal complexities, if our residents cannot understand ranked-choice voting or correctly use the ballot or lose trust in the process, then their votes may be cast, but their voices will not be counted. This change is not simply a new balloting format. Rank choice voting requires a complete transformation of how we design ballots, educate the publics, train poll workers, communicate results, and build trust, especially in our marginalized communities. The transformation, that transformation must be full, multilingual, accessible, and equitable, not one size fits all, not last minute, not we'll fix it after the election, and that is why today is not about whether rank choice voting should happen because the voters already decided that. Today is about whether we are ready to implement it responsibly, securely, and without disenfranchising the very communities we're trying to empower. Because if we are not ready, we risk confusing voters, suppressing participation, widening inequities, and undermining the faith in the election system, and that's because a vote and that becomes a voting rights issue, not a process issue. The voters gave us a mandate for rank choice voting. They did not give us a mandate for confusion, chaos, or inequity. They expect and they deserve competent transparency, accountability, and honesty, and I'm here today to make sure that when rank choice voting arrives in Washington, D.C., it is not just legal, it is successful, it is trusted, it is equitable, and it… strengthens, not weakens, our democracy.”

Councilmember Christina Henderson said:

“Across the country, over 50 cities, counties, and jurisdictions use…rank choice voting. 2026 will be a pivotal time for the District of Columbia as we transition, and it's actually a perfect time given…the number of candidates who have already announced to run for certain races where we have very, very competitive elections….While rank choice voting sounds complicated, indeed we all participate in rank choice voting every single day. We are ranking and prioritizing our choices… but with the right education, I do believe that all voters have the opportunity and can understand and actually will come to appreciate the opportunity to make sure that the person who is selected at an end of election is indeed someone who has captured the majority of voters’ support.”

At that roundtable, which has been reported as a hearing, Councilmembers asked Monica Evans, the Executive Director of the Board of Elections (Board), about preparations for ranked-choice voting. Evans said that ranked-choice voting can happen in the June 2026 elections. However, Evans could not answer yes or no to Councilmember Zachary Parker’s question about whether the Board had sufficient resources and time to implement this electoral reform. Evans said, “I feel like I’m being set to be the fall guy between the opponents and the proponents of rank choice voting….we have been asked to do the impossible in the past. This is not the first time that I feel like we’ve been set up for failure, and we figure it out.” She also said:

“I feel very uncomfortable being placed in a position where all of a sudden I feel like I'm trying to be made to be the deciding vote whether or not this goes forward or not and what I say will be a factor in whether or not we go forward when that is not the role we play. What I'm really trying to do is be very factual and be very honest with what we've been able to do, what we have done, the jurisdictions we have reached out to, the limited resources we have received, and we make the best of a bad situation.”

Councilmember Felder said that the Board had not provided him with reassurance. On November 25, 2025, Felder introduced “B26-0497 - Board of Elections Ranked Choice Voting Needs Assessment Emergency Amendment Act of 2025.” The bill would have amended:

“on an emergency basis, the District of Columbia Election Code of 1955 to require the Board of Elections to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to ensure the District’s institutional readiness for implementing ranked choice voting, to analyze voter awareness and public perceptions of the ranked choice voting system, to assess the equity and access implications of ranked choice voting for historically marginalized communities, to review best practices and implementation experiences from other jurisdictions, and to require the Board to submit a report to the Mayor and the Council that includes a RCV implementation plan, a full cost model, an operational timeline with critical milestones and a comprehensive voter outreach and education plan.”

 Felder’s office wrote on its website about the bill. The piece said:

“At yesterday’s roundtable, it was made apparent that the BOE needs more time and resources to sufficiently plan for the implementation of RCV. Further, they are behind on key readiness indicators such as public education, ballot usability, tabulation testing, legal/regulatory readiness, and poll worker training. Specifically, as of yesterday, there is no active public-facing education, no finalized regulations, no sample ballots in circulation, no community comprehension testing, and no confirmed assurance that voters — especially seniors, disabled residents, ESL speakers, or voters in historically disenfranchised wards — can successfully use a ranked ballot in June 2026.”

“This legislation will provide the BOE with the necessary time and opportunity to ensure that RCV can be implemented in a way that is responsible, successful, equitable, and truly honors the will of the voters and the passage of I-83.”

The piece quoted Felder:

“I am grateful to the Board of Elections for joining us at yesterday’s public roundtable to answer our questions on ranked choice voting and the work they have done thus far to prepare District voters for this change, and I appreciate their transparency in sharing their current shortcomings and needs.”

“Honoring the will of the voters means protecting voter access, voter understanding, and voter confidence — especially for communities that have historically been disenfranchised in our election systems. Based on what I heard yesterday, I do not feel confident that the DC BOE is ready for a responsible and successful implementation of RCV in June 2026, [sic.] In order to reach that place with RCV, more work needs to be done. That’s why I’m introducing this legislation today and I call on my colleagues to join me in this effort to ensure that RCV is implemented responsibly, equitably, and in a way that truly strengthens our democracy.”

“Let me be clear—this legislation is not designed to delay the voice of the people,”

“The people spoke when they passed Initiative 83, and I look forward to the implementation of RCV as soon as possible. However, as a legislator, my job is to make sure that any new policies have the time and resources to be implemented right—not in a way that causes harm or erodes public trust in our electoral system.”

On December 2, 2025, WUSA9 reported that Felder withdrew the bill, which did not receive the support of enough (eight) Councilmembers. Felder’s office released a statement, which said:

“I’m disappointed that the Council was unable to vote on the Board of Elections Ranked Choice Voting Needs Assessment Amendment Act of 2025 today. Despite this delay, my team is committed to our vision and will put in the work necessary for moving this bill forward at a future legislative meeting. My opinion holds firm in that I do not feel confident the DC BOE is ready for a responsible and successful implementation of RCV in June 2026. More work is still required to ensure that RCV is implemented responsibly, equitably, and in a way that strengthens our democracy. We remain fully engaged in supporting the BOE in achieving the level of readiness needed to get this right.”

He reportedly intends to introduce emergency bill in January 2026.

Parker said:

“I don't know if it is the best use of the council's time and resources to continue to relitigate that matter, however there are legitimate concerns that many residents have voiced that I think we should pause and take to heart.”

On December 15^th, Bonds introduced B26-0539 - Ranked Choice Voting Implementation Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025. The bill would have delayed the use of ranked-choice voting in the nation’s capital because it would have provided “for the implementation of ranked choice voting beginning with the 2027 election cycle.” Felder co-introduced the bill.

Bonds said:

“Today, I urge my colleagues to vote "yes" on this matter, to provide the Board of Elections with the opportunity to successfully implement ranked choice voting by affording them more time.”

“A one-year delay is what is being proposed. The agency could not definitively commit to conducting sufficient outreach to District residents before the June primary, and that should be concerning for all of us.”

“It is clear that January to June 2026 is an unacceptable calendar. It simply is not enough time to execute a new large-scale process that will have an impact on thousands of our residents.”

Councilmember Charles Allen, an opponent of the bill, said:

“We should not change elections like this"

“’Cause that's what this is. This is changing an election after it has already begun. The cycle has already begun. Ranked choice voting has been planned for, it is funded, and it is the law. Changing it once an election has already begun adds uncertainty and confusion. It is unfair to the candidates and to the campaigns to have their rules changed on them mid-stream.”

“I do believe this is going to be probably one of the most consequential elections that we have in recent memory, with more open seats and competitive races than we’ve probably seen in quite a while. To me, that is all the more reason ranked-choice voting has to be on our ballot this election, because it will better capture the voters’ choices.”

For the first time in over a decade, there is an open-seat mayoral race. In addition, there are multiple open-seat D.C. Council races.

Councilmember Robert White remarked that if ranked-choice voting were delayed by a year, the District of Columbia could be in the same or worse position. He was afraid that there could be less time for voter education.

Some D.C. Council candidates publicly supported swift implementation of ranked-choice voting. For example, in a joint statement, showing cooperation instead of animosity, five candidates for the open ward one D.C. Council seat wrote:

“We have built our campaigns around ranked-choice voting from the outset. It is pushing us to reach out to every voter, rather than just a small share. It is allowing us to campaign positively, rather than attack each other.”

Gary Thompson, Chair of the Board, was positive about the plan for ranked-choice voting: “We’re on schedule to implement ranked-choice voting by June 16, and it’s going very well.” He also said, “If we had more time or more money, that would help — but if you’re asking me whether we can proceed with ranked-choice voting on June 16, the answer is absolutely.”

The D.C. Council debated Bonds’ bill for almost an hour and then voted against the bill by an eight to five vote. Councilmembers Bonds, Felder, Trayon White Sr., Kenyan McDuffie, and Phil Mendelson all voted for the legislation while the others all voted against it.

A similar delay tactic, supported by mainly the same Councilmembers, was used months ago. On July 24, 2025, Bonds and Felder introduced an amendment to Bill 26-260, “Fiscal Year 2026 Local Budget Act of 2025” that

“would fund a Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) Needs Assessment to be completed prior to the implementation of the “Ranked Choice Voting and Open the Primary Elections to Independent Voters Act of 2024,” commonly referred to as Initiative 83 (I-83). The assessment, to be completed by the D.C. Board of Elections, must be completed no later than September 30, 2026.”

That amendment was defeated by a seven to five vote. Councilmembers Bonds, McDuffie, Mendelson, Parker, and Felder voted for the amendment while the rest voted for it. Trayon White Sr. was not on the D.C. Council then.

DCNOW supports ranked-choice voting and is looking forward to the use of this reform in the 2026 elections.