DC Board of Elections outlines rollout and rules for ranked-choice voting ahead of June 16, 2026

Director Monica Evans of the DC Board of Elections told Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners and community members that the District will implement ranked-choice voting for contests with three or more candidates beginning with the June 16 special and primary elections.

"It will begin with the June 16 special and primary elections," Evans said, and reiterated that RCV applies broadly: "everything from President to Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, every office is subject to ranked choice voting" where contests meet the candidate threshold.

Evans described the tabulation method: if no candidate crosses 50% of active votes in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes is removed and ballots that selected that candidate move to their next ranked choice; rounds repeat until a candidate clears the majority threshold. She noted a practical limit for voters in DC: voters may rank up to five candidates per contest, but rounds continue until someone crosses 50%.

On certification and timing, Evans cautioned that preliminary night results will be posted but not certified: "We will not have all ballots in hand until after the 10th day" and certification awaits receipt and processing of mail ballots. She urged commissioners to review the BOE election calendar and upcoming materials on the BOE website.