To vote for Aparna in the District of Columbia Democratic primary election, you must be registered to vote in Ward 1 and you must be registered as a Democrat. To be registered in DC, you must be a resident of DC for at least 30 days before the election on June 16 and not claim residence in any other state or territory. 

‍You can check whether you are registered to vote and if the correct name, address, and party affiliation appears in the voter roll by going to DC’s voter registration portal. You can also check that you live in Ward 1 under 'Ballot Information'.

‍If you are not yet registered to vote, you can register to vote online by May 26. You can visit this online voter registration application if you are a US citizen, and you can visit this online voter registration form if you are a non-US citizen.

Between May 26 and June 16, you can either register to vote in-person at 1015 Half Street SE, Suite 750 or you can register in-person at an Early Voting or Election Day voting site. You must bring proof of residency to register in-person, and the full list of eligible documents is listed on the DC Board of Elections (BOE) website.

‍If you are currently registered to vote but not as a Democrat or at a previous address, the deadline to update your voter registration to become a registered Democrat and/or at your current Ward 1 address is also May 26. To update your voter registration, visit this form if you are a US citizen and visit this form if you are a non-US citizen.

Should you require any assistance or have questions about your voter registration, please contact the BOE at (202) 727-2525 or (866) 328-6837.

Per the DC Board of Elections (BOE), all DC residents will receive an absentee/mail ballot by mail. If you are voting by mail, ballots will be mailed to registered voters on May 11. Ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, June 16 and must arrive at the BOE office by Friday, June 26. 

Mail ballot drop boxes will be available to use between Friday, May 22 at 11:00AM to Tuesday June 16 at 8:00PM. Please note that the date ballots will be mailed out and drop box times are tentative and may change subject to the BOE. More details on drop box locations will be made available closer to when voting begins.

If you would like to vote in-person, you can vote early between Monday, June 8 and Sunday, June 14 between 8:30AM and 7PM at an Early Vote Center. 

You can also vote on Primary Election Day on Tuesday, June 16 between 7AM and 8PM at an Election Day Vote Center. The list of Early Vote Centers and Election Day Vote Centers will be made available closer to when voting begins.

Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in their order of preference. You may rank up to five candidates, or as many candidates are in the contest if there are fewer than 5. You can choose to rank as many candidates as you like, or just rank one candidate #1. Ranking other candidates does not harm your first choice. 

You should make sure you do not give multiple candidates the same ranking, rank a candidate more than once (e.g., ranking them 1st and 2nd), or skip rankings accidentally on your ballot (such as ranking someone 1st then 4th). 

For more information, you can check out the DC Board of Election’s (BOE) Ranked Choice Voting website which provides additional information and an example ranked choice voting ballot, where you can rank your favorite ice cream flavors!

Per the BOE, “ranked choice voting is used for eligible contests with three or more candidates. During tabulation, all 1st choice candidate votes are counted. If no candidate or candidates (in contests where voters choose two winners) reach the required percentage of votes to win, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.

Votes from this eliminated candidate are then transferred to the 2nd choice candidates on a voter’s ballot. This process continues until a candidate or candidates reach the required percentage of votes to win.”

Yes, non-citizens can vote in DC elections for local offices, including for the Ward 1 seat on DC Council, Mayor, Attorney General, members of the State Board of Education, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, and ballot initiatives/referenda.

Per the DC Board of Elections (BOE), the requirements for voting are that you must be at least 17 years of age and will be 18 years of age on or before the next General Election (November 3, 2026), residency for at least 30 days in DC, not claim voting residence or the right to vote in any other state/territory/country, and you must not been have found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote. 

You can register to vote online or update your voter registration (to ensure that your current Ward 1 address and party affiliation as a Democrat are reflected in the voter roll) by May 26 at this form as a non-citizen. If you have any questions, please call the BOE at (202) 727-2525 or (866) 328-6837.