District of Columbia

Election day: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Election Day.

Early Voting: All voters receive a mail ballot, which can be mailed or dropped in a ballot drop box any time before 8pm on Election Day.  Voters can also vote early, either in-person, or by mail. For the 2026 General Election, the early voting period is from Monday, October 26, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026. Early Vote Centers are open every day during this period from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Voters are not required to vote at a specific polling location.  Voters may vote at any Early Vote Center or Election Day Vote Center. Use this link to locate the closest mail-in ballot drop box, Early Vote Center, or Election Day Vote Center.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

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

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Have been a state resident for at least 30 days prior to the election

You must live in district at least 30 days to be eligible to vote. You may vote in a primary at age 17 if you will be 18 by the date of the General Election

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

• Right_to_vote_another_state
• A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.

After a 2020 change, people who are incarcerated for any reason can now always vote in Washington, D.C.

You may preregister to vote in District of Columbia

• At the age 16

How to register 

• District of Columbia Congressional General Election
  • Post Received by Tue Oct 13, 2026
  • Email or Online by Tue Oct 13, 2026
  • In-Person Request by Fri Oct 23, 2026
  • In Person: Election Day Registration & Voting Tue Nov 3, 2026
• District of Columbia Municipal General Election
  • Post Received by Tue Oct 13, 2026
  • Email, Online or Fax by Tue Oct 13, 2026
  • In-Person Request by Fri Oct 23, 2026
  • In Person: Election Day Registration & Voting Tue Nov 3, 2026

To register to vote in DC, a person must To register to vote in DC, a person must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a D.C. resident for at least 30 days immediately prior to the election
• Not claim voting residence or the right to vote in another U.S. state or territory
• Be at least 17 years old (and at least 18 years old on or before November 3, 2026) (Note: voters may pre-register to vote if they are at least 16 years old)
• Not have been found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote

While non-U.S. citizens may register to vote and may vote in local elections, only U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections.

There are three ways to register to vote: (1) online, (2) by mail, email, or fax, or (3) in person

• Online: Submit a completed voter registration form online here (or here for non-U.S. citizens). If using this method, the application must be received 21 days before the election (by October 13, 2026).

By mail, fax, or email: fill out the form found under #1 online here (or here for non-U.S. citizens)  and submit by:

• By Mail: D.C. Board of Elections at 1015 Half Street, SE, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20003.
• By email: DCRegistrations@dcboe.org 
• By fax: (202) 347-2648

If submitting by mail, fax, or email, the application must be received 21 days before the election (by October 13, 2026).

• In person: visit any voter registration agency or the D.C. Board of Elections at 1015 Half Street, SE, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20003. 

Same Day registration: Individuals can also register to vote in person at a vote center (i.e. a polling place) during Early Voting or Election Day, right before voting. (see above for dates and times for vote centers)

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• By Mail
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

District of Columbia Congressional General Election

Ballot Request:

• Received by Mon Oct 19, 2026

Ballot Return:

• Received by Tue Nov 3, 2026 8:00PM
• Postmarked On or Before Election Day and Received by Fri Nov 13, 2026

District of Columbia Municipal General Election

Ballot Request:

• Received by Mon Oct 19, 2026

Ballot Return:

• Received by Tue Nov 3, 2026 9:00PM
• Postmarked On or Before Election Day and Received by Fri Nov 13, 2026

All registered D.C. voters will automatically be mailed a ballot to their D.C. residence. Voters only need to request an absentee ballot if they are going to be away from their D.C. residence during the voting period, in which case the absentee ballot will be mailed to their non-D.C. residence. 

Requests for absentee mail-in ballots must be made online received no later than the 15th day before each election (i.e., by Monday, October 19, 2026).

All registered D.C. voters should receive a ballot by mail in advance of the election, or they can use an early voting center. To ensure that a voter receives their mail-in ballot at the correct address, they should confirm their voter registration status and update their address as needed at the Update Voter Registration page online here (or here for non-U.S. citizens).

Voters can drop off their mail-in ballots at a Mail-in Ballot Drop Box, Early Vote Center, or Election Day Vote Center.   Use this link to find the nearest location. 

• Mail Drop Box: Drop boxes should be open starting October 9, 2026 through Election Day. They are open 24-hours. If using a drop box, your ballot must be returned by 8:00pm ET on Election Day (November 3, 2026).
• Early Vote Centers: Monday, October 26, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 open every day during this period from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
• Election Day Vote Center: Must be received by 8:00pm ET (November 3, 2026).

Mail: Voters who choose to return their mail-in ballot by mail should return their ballot as soon as possible, as it must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the Board by Friday November 13, 2026. Note: Voters who are voting an absentee ballot because they are going to be away from their D.C. residence during the voting period should return their ballot as soon as possible; it must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the Board by November 10, 2026.

Voter Registration

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

• Your District of Columbia Driver’s License or State non-driver ID Number
• Last Four Digits of your Social Security 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 (Statements, checks and bills should be dated no earlier than 90 days before Election Day. School documents must be from a DC institution.):

• Letter from a homeless organization verifying your residence location for purposes of voter registration
• 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

Registered voters: do not need to present identification or proof of residence to vote unless first-time voter who registered online or by mail without acceptable ID, changed address late or without acceptable proof of residence, inactive voter, or ID number on registration application could not be verified. However, voters are encouraged to take some form of identification with them to vote in case it is needed.

Registering in person during early voting or on election day: If a voter is planning to register in person during the early voting period or on Election Day, they will need to provide proof of residence that shows their name and current D.C. address. Acceptable forms of proof of residence include: 

• Current and valid government-issued photo identification
• Utility bill for water, gas, electricity, cable, internet, telephone, or cellular phone service issued no earlier than 90 days before the election
• Savings, checking, credit, or money market account statement from a bank or credit union issued no earlier than 90 days before the election
• Paycheck, stub, or earning statement that includes the employee’s name, address, and telephone number and was issued no earlier than 90 days before the election
• Government-issued document or check from a federal or District agency, other than the Board of Elections, issued no earlier than 90 days before the election
• Current residential lease or rental agreement
• Occupancy statement from a District homeless shelter issued no earlier than 90 days before the election
• Tuition or housing bill from a District of Columbia college or university issued for the current academic or housing term

Special Ballot If a voter does not provide an acceptable proof of residence, they will be required to vote a Special Ballot and will have until close of business on the Thursday following Election Day (i.e., Thursday, November 5, 2026) to present acceptable proof of residence to the Board in order to have your Special Ballot counted.  Note that this is different than the 7 day timeframe provided for other Special Ballot circumstances.

Voters who have moved within D.C. may vote at any vote center.  They can update their address at the vote center by providing acceptable proof of residence. In addition, to ensure that voters receive their mail-in ballot at the correct address, they should review and update their voter registration at the Register/Update Voter Registration page online here (or here for non-U.S. citizens).

If registering by a voter registration application, the application must be received by the Board by October 13, 2026. After that deadline, individuals can register to vote in person at the Board of Elections (1015 Half Street SE, Suite 750) or register to vote in person using same day registration, meaning they can show up to a vote center during early voting or on election day and register right before voting. 

D.C. voters who expect to be away from their D.C. residence during the election must request an Absentee Ballot using this online form.

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

Military and overseas voters should fill out a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to both register and request an absentee ballot . (Registered military and overseas voters alternatively may request absentee ballots online. )

If submitting the FPCA to register to vote, the FPCA must be received by the D.C. Board of Elections 21 days before the election (i.e., by Tuesday, October 13, 2026). The application can be sent:

• By mail or in-person:  D.C. Board of Elections at 1015 Half Street, SE, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20003.
• By email (scanned as an attachment) to UOCAVA@dcboe.org 
• By fax at (202) 347-2648

Requests for absentee ballots must be received no later than the third day before an election (i.e. by Saturday October 31, 2026).

Voters will receive their ballot by mail, email, or fax, depending upon the delivery method they indicated on the FPCA. Instructions on how to vote and return the ballot will be included with the ballot.  Emailed or faxed voted ballots must be received by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Mailed voted ballots must be postmarked or otherwise demonstrated to have been sent on or before Election Day, and received by the Board no later than the 10th day after Election Day (i.e., by Friday, November 13, 2026).

All eligible voters (see above) including those with criminal records can vote in D.C. Individuals who are incarcerated, regardless of the offense, are able to vote. Those who are under court supervision or residing at a halfway house after release are also able to vote.  

If a voter is currently a resident at the D.C. jail, when registering to vote, they may use their D.C. home address or the address of the D.C. jail if they have been a resident at the DC jail for at least 30 days. Voters claiming the D.C. jail’s address for residency purposes will be provided proof of residency by the Department of Corrections. 

If the voter is currently serving time in another jurisdiction’s facility, they must use their D.C. home address for residency purposes and are recommended to update their mailing address. Mailing addresses should include voters’ inmate numbers.

If an Absentee Ballot was mailed and the individual was released from incarceration before it arrived, they may vote at any Early Voting Center during Early Voting or at any Vote Center on Election Day.

Voters can review and update their voter registration at the Register/Update Voter Registration page here (or here for non-U.S. citizens).