State of District of Columbia Voting Requirements & Information

Statewide Voter Information

 

U.S. Domestic Voters

Federal and State Elections

District of Columbia General Election held on Tue Nov 3, 2020

Type

Deadlines

New Voter Registration
  • Post received by Tue Oct 13, 2020
  • In-Person, Received by Mon Oct 26, 2020
  • Election Day Registration & Voting Tue Nov 3, 2020 8:00pm EST
  • Last Day to Change Party Affiliation Fri Nov 13, 2020

Absentee Ballot Request

 Mon Oct 19, 2020

Absentee Ballot Return
  • Postmarked by Tue Nov 3, 2020 8:00pm EST
  • Post received by Fri Nov 13, 2020

Early Voting

 Tue Oct 27, 2020 8:30am EDT - Mon Nov 2, 2020 7:00pm EST
For the Nov 3, 2020, General Election, all registered voters will be sent to a vote-by-mail ballot. If you are away from your home address, submit a ballot request to indicate your ballot mail-to address by Oct 19, 2020.

Registration

You can register to vote or update your registration information:

  • online
  • by mail
  • in person at your local election office
  • at the polls on Election Day

Election Day Voting

Polling places are open from 7am until 8pm on Election Day.

Find my polling place

Early Voting

No earlier than ten days prior to an election qualified electors may register to vote and cast full ballots at any ward-based early voting center. Early voting centers are open every day during this period between the hours of 8:30am and 7:00pm.

Absentee Voting

Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot and vote by mail.

For the Nov 3, 2020 General Election, all registered voters will be sent a vote-by-mail ballot.

You are eligible to vote in District of Columbia if you:

  • Are a U.S citizen
  • Are a resident of District of Columbia
  • Are at least 18 years old by Election Day

You are NOT eligible to vote in District of Columbia if:

  • You have been legally declared "mentally incompetent" by a court
  • You are registered to vote in another state
  • You are in prison or detention or jail or penal institution
  • You are on parole for a felony conviction or convicted of a felony
For further information, please see US Vote's [D.C. Ex-offender and Misdemeanor Voting Rights](https://www.usvotefoundation.org/ex-off-voting-rights/DC/) page.

You may preregister to vote in District of Columbia

  • At the age 16
  • At the age of 17

Student Eligibility

If you are a student, you are eligible to vote in District of Columbia if:

  • You reside in District of Columbia but are attending college in another state
  • You reside in another state but attend college in District of Columbia

Voter Registration

To register to vote in District of Columbia you should provide one of the following:

  • The Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
  • Your District of Columbia Driver's License or State/non-driver ID Number

If you are registering to vote for the first time by mail, you will need to provide a copy of a valid ID. Acceptable forms of ID include:

  • Current and Valid Photo ID
  • Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
  • Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address

You can alternatively show one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration.

Voting In-Person

If you registered to vote in District of Columbia, you may be required to present valid ID if you are voting for the first time or your registration is incomplete. You can use any ID from this list:

  • Paycheck that shows your Current Name and Address
  • Utility Bill
  • Bank Statement
  • Valid District of Columbia Driver's License
  • Valid District of Columbia Non-driver's ID
  • Government Check
  • Government Issued Document that shows your Current Name and Address
  • University Tuition Bill
  • University Housing Bill
  • Lease
  • Letter from a homeless organization verifying your residence location for purposes of voter registration

Statements, checks and bills should be dated no earlier than 90 days before Election Day. School documents must be from a DC institution.

Domestic Voter

 In-Person Mail Fax Email Online

Voter Registration

Absentee Ballot Request

Blank Ballot To Voter

 - - -

Voted-Absentee Ballot Return

 - - -

Overseas & Military Voters

District of Columbia General Election held on Tue Nov 3, 2020

Type

Deadlines
Overseas Military

Absentee Voter Registration
  • Received by Tue Oct 13, 2020
  • Fax by Tue Oct 13, 2020
  • Request for Postal Ballot by Tue Oct 13, 2020
  • Received by Tue Oct 13, 2020
  • Fax by Tue Oct 13, 2020
  • Request for Postal Ballot by Tue Oct 13, 2020

Ballot Request for Registered Voter

 Received by Sat Oct 31, 2020 Received by Sat Oct 31, 2020

Ballot Return
  • Postmarked by Tue Nov 3, 2020 8:00pm EST
  • Email or Fax by Tue Nov 3, 2020
  • Post received by Fri Nov 13, 2020
  • Postmarked by Tue Nov 3, 2020 8:00pm EST
  • Email or Fax by Tue Nov 3, 2020
  • Post received by Fri Nov 13, 2020
For the Nov 3, 2020, General Election, all registered voters will be sent to a vote-by-mail ballot. If you are away from your home address, submit a ballot request to indicate your ballot mail-to address by Oct 19, 2020.

Overseas Voters

U.S. citizens living abroad have the right to vote as absentee voters, provided they are eligible to vote in their state. If you are living outside of the U.S. permanently, indefinitely, or temporarily, your voting rights stay with you, even if you never voted when you lived in the U.S. To vote from overseas:

  • Complete and send an overseas voter registration/ballot request form to your election office in the U.S. This is one specific form that will register you as an overseas voter and request your absentee ballot – simultaneously.

Many states allow children who were born overseas, but never lived in the U.S., to use their U.S. parents’ last residence address to register.

Military Voters

Service members and their eligible family members living outside their voting jurisdiction (within or outside the U.S.) are able to vote as absentee voters.

  • If you are a service member, or an eligible family member, there is a single form to file for both voter registration and ballot request. It is often called the “Federal Post Card Application” or the FPCA form. This form must be re-filed with your election office each time you change location.

To vote as a service member or eligible family member:

  • Complete and send a voter registration/ballot request form “FPCA” to your election office in the U.S. It is the same form in all states.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form ("FPCA"). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

  • U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
  • Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
  • Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

  • U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
  • Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
  • Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Overseas Voter

 In-Person Mail Fax Email Online

Voter Registration

 -

Absentee Ballot Request

 - -

Blank Ballot To Voter

 - -

Voted-Absentee Ballot Return

 - -
All faxed voter registration/ballot request forms must be followed by the original, signed form in the mail - otherwise the application will not be valid. Voted ballots returned by citizen voters by fax or email must include a statement that you relinquish your right to a secret ballot. The District of Columbia state website also offers blank ballots to be filled in or printed blank. See: http://www.dcboee.org/home.asp

Military Voter

 In-Person Mail Fax Email Online

Voter Registration

 -

Absentee Ballot Request

 - -

Blank Ballot To Voter

 - -

Voted-Absentee Ballot Return

 - -
All faxed voter registration/ballot request forms must be followed by the original, signed form in the mail - otherwise the application will not be valid. Voted ballots returned by military voters by fax or email must include a statement that you relinquish your right to a secret ballot. The District of Columbia maintains a permanent list of overseas absentee voters.

 

Register to Vote   Request Absentee Ballot