2023 District of Columbia Code › Title 1 - Government Organization › Chapter 10 - Elections › Subchapter I - Regulation of Elections › § 1–1001.05. Board of Elections — Duties

§ 1–1001.05. Board of Elections — Duties.
(a) The Board shall:
(1) Accurately maintain a uniform, interactive computerized voter registration list which shall serve as the official voter registration list for all elections in the District, and shall contain the name, registration information, and a unique identifier assigned for every registered voter in the District. The voter registration list shall be administered pursuant to the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and pertinent federal and local law, and shall be coordinated with other District agency databases;
(2) Take whatever action is necessary and appropriate to actively locate, identify, and register qualified voters;
(3) Conduct elections;
(4) Provide for recording and counting votes by means of ballots or machines or both; provided, that the Board may begin counting votes 15 days before the day of the election, but may not publish or disclose tabulation results before 8:00 p.m. on the day of the election;
(5) Repealed.
(6) Publish in 1 or more newspapers of general circulation in the District, a sample copy of the official ballot to be used in any such election; provided, that nothing contained herein shall require the publication of a sample copy of the official ballots to be used in the advisory neighborhood commissions’ elections;
(7) Publish in the District of Columbia Register on the 3rd Friday of every month, the total number of qualified electors registered to vote in the District as of the last day of the month preceding publication. Such notice shall be broken down by ward and political party affiliation, where applicable, and shall list the total number of new registrants, party changes, cancellations, changes of names, and/or addresses processed under each category;
(8) Every 5 years, divide the District into appropriate voting precincts, each of which shall contain at least 350 registered persons; and draw precinct lines within election wards created by the Council, subject to the approval of the Council, in whole or in part, by resolution;
(9) Operate Vote Centers, including a Vote Center for incarcerated individuals in the Department of Corrections' care and custody at the Central Detention Facility and Correctional Treatment Facility;
(9A) Before any upcoming voter registration or mail-in ballot deadlines and with reasonable time for qualified electors to return materials to the Board:
(A) Provide to every unregistered qualified elector in the Department of Corrections' care or custody and endeavor to provide to every unregistered qualified elector in the Bureau of Prisons' care or custody:
(i) A voter registration form and postage-paid return envelope; and
(ii) Lay-friendly educational materials about the importance of voting and the right of an individual currently incarcerated or with a criminal record to vote in the District;
(B) Provide to every registered qualified elector in the Department of Corrections' care or custody and endeavor to provide to every registered qualified elector in the Bureau of Prisons' care or custody:
(i) A voter guide, if such a guide is published by the Board;
(ii) Lay-friendly educational materials about the importance of voting and the right of an individual currently incarcerated or with a criminal record to vote in the District; and
(iii) A mail-in ballot and postage-paid return envelope; and
(C) Provide to every registered qualified elector in the care and custody of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services information about the importance of and process for keeping their voter registration information, including their residence address, current and up-to-date;
(10) Provide information regarding procedures for voter registration and mail-in ballots to absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters in United States elections, accept valid voter registration applications and mail-in ballots, including write-in ballots, from those voters, and comply with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, approved August 28, 1966 (100 Stat. 924; 42 U.S.C. § 1873ff
et seq
.);
(10A) Accept absentee ballots postmarked or otherwise proven to have been sent on or before the day of the election, and received by the Board no later than the 7th day after the election;
(10B) Accept mail-in ballots that are either:
(A) Postmarked or otherwise proven to have been mailed on or before election day and received by the Board no later than the 10th day after election day; or
(B) Received by the Board by 8 p.m. on election day:
(i) In a ballot drop box or at a Vote Center; or
(ii) Electronically, in the case of alternate format ballots submitted by registered qualified electors with disabilities and absent uniformed services and overseas voters;
(10C) Create, maintain, and user-test an electronic ballot tracking system, updated daily, to:
(A) Notify voters regarding the status of their mail-in and special ballots; and
(B) Allow voters to:
(i) Track, via the Board's website, the status of their:
(I) Mail-in ballots, including the dates on which the mail-in ballot was mailed to the voter and received, processed, and accepted or rejected by the Board; and
(II) Special ballots, including the date of acceptance or rejection and reason, if rejected; and
(ii) Submit comments to the Board regarding the status of their mail-in and special ballots or the electronic ballot tracking system;
(10D) Promulgate rules governing signature verification for mail-in ballots, including processes for curing signature deficiencies and, if a registered qualified elector has a disability preventing them from signing a mail-in ballot return envelope, allowing the registered qualified elector to use a mark instead of a signature;
(10E) Not fundeded.
(10F) Maintain a centralized process for receiving public and voter concerns and comments through the Board's website that confirms receipt and provides confirmation numbers to allow those submitting concerns and comments to track their submission;
(11) Certify nominees and the results of elections in sufficient time to comply with the requirements of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voter Act, approved August 28, 1986 (100 Stat. 924; 42 U.S.C. § 1973ff et seq.);
(12) Take all reasonable steps to inform qualified electors about elections and voting, including by:
(A) If a voter guide is published by the Board:
(i) Ensuring the voter guide is available on the Board's website and accessible for voters with visual impairments;
(ii) Permitting registered qualified electors to elect to receive the voter guide by electronic means in lieu of by mail;
(iii) Emailing an electronic voter guide to those registered qualified electors for whom the Board maintains email addresses; and
(iv) Mailing a physical voter guide to those registered qualified electors who have not elected to receive a voter guide by electronic means in lieu of by mail; and
(B) Separately from the information's inclusion in a voter guide, emailing those registered qualified electors for whom the Board maintains email addresses instructions about mail-in voting, early voting, Vote Center locations, Vote Center wait times, ballot drop box locations, and how to update their voter registration information;
(13) Repealed;
(14) Issue such regulations and expressly delegate authority to officials and employees of the Board (such delegations of authority only to be effective upon publication in the District of Columbia Register) as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter, subchapter VII of this chapter, and related acts requiring implementation by the Board. The regulations authorized by this paragraph include those necessary to determine that candidates meet the statutory qualifications for office; define the form of petitions; establish rules for the circulation and filing of petitions; establish criteria to determine the validity of signatures on petitions; and provide for the registration of any political party seeking to nominate directly candidates in any general or special election;
(15) Take reasonable steps to facilitate voting by persons with disabilities, qualified to vote under this subchapter, and to authorize such persons to cast a ballot with the assistance of a person of their own choosing;
(15A) At the request of a candidate, consider what action, if any, should be taken to clarify the identity of a candidate if there is potential for confusion among voters about the identity of a candidate because of the similarity of the candidate's name to another candidate or elected official;
(16) Perform such other duties as are imposed upon it by this subchapter;
(17) Perform duties imposed upon it by subchapter VII of this chapter;
(18) Tabulate all ballots in sufficient time to comply with the requirements of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voter Act, approved August 28, 1986 (100 Stat. 924; 42 U.S.C. § 1973ff et seq.);
(19)(A) Obtain or develop a mobile application that:
(i) Connects the user to the Board's computerized voter registration list to immediately confirm that a petition signer is a registered qualified elector;
(ii) Maintains an up-to-date count of the number of electronic signatures collected; and
(iii) Allows signed petitions to be printed out for submission to the Board;
(B) No later than October 1, 2017, implement a pilot program that provides a limited number, as determined by the Board, of candidates, qualified petition circulators, and proposers with the option to use a mobile application, in addition to the paper circulation process, to gather electronic signatures on a mobile device registered with the Board for the June 2018 Primary Election;
(C) For the November 2018 General Election, and all subsequent elections, make a mobile application available to all candidates, qualified petition circulators, and proposers to install on a mobile device registered with the Board; and
(D) Issue rules to implement the use of a mobile application for all elections, including how to register a mobile device with the Board in order to utilize the mobile application; provided, that the rules shall require signed petitions from the mobile application to be printed out and submitted to the Board;
(20) Develop and post on the Board's website a voter registration packet for new tenants and homeowners, which shall constitute a vital document for the purposes of § 2-1933, including:
(A) A voter registration application;
(B) Information concerning:
(i) Online voter registration;
(ii) Updating a voter's address;
(iii) The voting rights in the District of individuals with criminal records; and
(iv) Voter registration information for high school and college students; and
(C) A weblink to the Board's website, which shall identify:
(i) The date of the next scheduled election;
(ii) Vote Center locations;
(iii) The names and positions of current elected officials in the District; and
(iv) How to search for an individual's Ward Councilmember, Ward State Board of Education member, and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner; and
(21) Not Funded.
(a-1)(1) The Board shall hold regular monthly meetings in accordance with a schedule to be established by the Board. Meetings may be rescheduled, and additional meetings may be called as needed by the Board. Except in the case of an emergency, the Board shall provide at least 48 hours' notice of any additional meeting.
(2) The Board shall make available for public inspection and post on its website a proposed agenda for each Board meeting as soon as practicable, but in any event at least 24 hours before a meeting. Copies of the agenda shall be available to the public at the meeting. The Board, according to its rules, may amend the agenda at the meeting.
(3) All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public, unless the members vote to enter into executive session. The Board shall not vote, make resolutions or rulings, or take any actions of any kind during executive session, except those that:
(A) Relate solely to the internal personnel rules or practices of the Board;
(B) Would result in the disclosure of matters specifically exempted from disclosure by statute; provided, that the statute:
(i) Requires that the matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue; or
(ii) Establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld;
(C) Would result in the disclosure of trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential;
(D) Involve accusing any person of a crime or formally censuring any person;
(E) Would result in the disclosure of information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
(F) Would result in the disclosure of investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes or information which, if written, would be contained in the records, but only to the extent that the production of the records or information would:
(i) Interfere with enforcement proceedings;
(ii) Deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication;
(iii) Constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; or
(iv) Disclose investigative techniques and procedures; or
(G) Specifically concern the Board’s issuance of a subpoena, the Board’s participation in a civil action or proceeding, or disposition by the Board of a particular matter involving a determination on the record after opportunity for a hearing.
(4) The Board shall keep the minutes of each meeting of the Board and shall make the minutes of each meeting available to the public for inspection and distribution, and shall post the minutes on the Board’s website, as soon as practicable, but in all cases before the next regularly scheduled meeting.
(b)(1) The Board shall, on the 1st Tuesday in June of each presidential election year, conduct a presidential preference primary election within the District of Columbia in which the registered qualified voters therein may express their preference for candidates of each political party of the District of Columbia for nomination for President.
(2) No person shall be listed on the ballot as a candidate for nomination for President in such presidential preference primary election unless:
(A) No later than 90 days before the date of such presidential preference primary election, there shall have been filed with the Board a petition on behalf of the person signed by at least 1,000, or 1%, whichever is fewer, of the qualified electors of the District who are registered under § 1-1001.07, and are of the same political party as the nominee; or
(B) The person has complied with the rules of the political party to be listed on the ballot, and if the party rules provide for candidate qualification by means other than gathering petition signatures as described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, the political party shall certify to the Board no later than 24 hours after the date that is 90 days before the date of such presidential preference primary election the names of candidates for nomination who have qualified by such means.
(3)(A) Candidates for delegate and alternates where permitted by political party rules to a particular political party national convention convened to nominate that party’s candidate for President shall be listed on the ballot of the presidential preference primary held under this subchapter as:
(i) Full slates of candidates for delegates supporting a candidate for nomination for President if there shall have been filed with the Board, no later than 90 days before the date of such presidential primary, a petition on behalf of such slate’s candidacy signed by the candidates on the slate, and by at least 1,000, or 1%, whichever is less, of the qualified electors of the District of Columbia who are registered under § 1-1001.07 and are of the same political party as the candidates on such slate;
(ii) Full slates of candidates for delegates not committed to support any named candidate for nomination for President if there shall have been filed with the Board, no later than 90 days before the date of such presidential primary, a petition on behalf of such slate’s candidacy, signed by the candidates on the slate and by at least 1,000, or 1%, whichever is less, of the qualified electors of the District of Columbia who have registered under § 1-1001.07 and are of the same political party as the candidates on such slate;
(iii) An individual candidate for delegate supporting a candidate for nomination for President if there shall have been filed with the Board, no later than 90 days before the date of such presidential primary, a petition on behalf of such candidate, signed by the candidate and by at least 1,000, or 1%, whichever is less, of the qualified electors of the District of Columbia who have registered under § 1-1001.07 and are of the same political party as the candidate; or
(iv) An individual not committed to support any named candidate for nomination for President if there shall have been filed with the Board, no later than 90 days before the date of such presidential primary, a petition on behalf of such candidate, signed by the candidate and by at least 1,000, or 1%, whichever is less, of the qualified electors of the District of Columbia who have registered under § 1-1001.07 and are of the same political party as the candidate.
(B) No candidate for delegate or alternate may be listed on the ballot unless such candidate was properly selected according to the rules of the candidate's political party relating to the nomination of candidates for delegate or alternate.
(C) The governing body of each eligible party shall file with the Board, no later than 180 days prior to the presidential preference primary election:
(i) Notification of that party’s intent to conduct a presidential preference primary; and
(ii) A plan for the election detailing the procedures to be followed in the selection of individual delegates and alternates to the convention of that party, including procedures for the selection of committed and uncommitted delegates.
(4) The Board shall:
(A) Arrange the ballot for the presidential preference primary so as to enable each voter to indicate the voter's choice for presidential nominee and for the slate of delegates and alternates pledged to support that prospective nominee with 1 mark, and provide an alternative to vote for individual delegates or uncommitted slates of delegates; and
(B) Clearly indicate on the ballot the candidate for nomination for President which a slate or candidate for delegate supports, or name of the person who shall manage an uncommitted slate of delegates.
(5) The delegates and alternates, of each political party in the District of Columbia to the national convention of that party convened for the nomination of that party for President, elected in accordance with this subchapter, shall be obliged to vote only for the candidate whom the delegate or alternate has been selected to represent in accordance with properly promulgated rules of the political party, on the 1st ballot cast at the convention for nominees for President, or until such time as such candidate to whom the delegate is committed withdraws the candidate's candidacy, whichever 1st occurs.
(c) Each member of the Board and persons authorized by the Board may administer oaths to persons executing affidavits pursuant to § 1-1001.08. It may provide for the administering of such other oaths as it considers appropriate to require in the performance of its functions.
(d) The Board may permit either persons temporarily absent from the District or persons physically unable to appear personally at an official registration place to register for the purpose of voting in any election held under this subchapter.
(e)(1)(A) The Board shall select, employ, and fix the compensation for an Executive Director and such staff the Board deems necessary, subject to the pay limitations of § 1-611.16. The Executive Director shall serve at the pleasure of the Board.
(B) The Executive Director shall be a District resident throughout the Executive Director's term and failure to maintain District residency shall result in a forfeiture of the position.
(B-i) The requirements of subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall not apply to Executive Director Alice Miller, beginning on her hire date of July 6, 2016.
(C)(i)(I) Notwithstanding the provisions of Unit A of Chapter 14 of Title 2, the Board shall use a ranking system based on a scale of 100 points for all employment decisions for positions within the Board.
(II) An individual who is a District resident at the time of application shall be awarded a 10-point hiring preference over a nonresident applicant; provided, that the individual claims the preference. This 10-point preference shall be in addition to any points awarded on the 100-point scale.
(III) At the time of appointment, an individual who claimed the 10-point residency preference shall agree, in writing, to maintain District residency for a period of 7 consecutive years from the effective date of appointment into the position for which the individual claimed the residency preference.
(IV) An individual who claimed the residency preference and who fails to maintain District residency for 7 consecutive years from the individual's effective date of appointment shall forfeit the individual's District government employment.
(V) Each applicant for a position covered by this sub-subparagraph shall be informed in writing of the provisions of this sub-subparagraph at the time of application.
(ii) The Board shall verify and enforce District residency requirements pursuant to § 1-515.04.
(iii) By November 1 of each year and pursuant to § 1-515.06, the Board shall submit to the Mayor an annual report detailing, for the previous fiscal year, compliance with residency requirements.
(2) No provision of this subchapter shall be construed as permitting the Board to appoint any personnel who are not full-time paid employees of the Board to preliminarily determine alleged violations of the law affecting elections.
(3) The Board may appoint a General Counsel to serve at the pleasure of the Board. The General Counsel shall be entitled to receive compensation at the same rate as the Executive Director of the Board and shall be responsible solely to the Board. The General Counsel shall perform such duties as may be delegated or assigned to the General Counsel by rule or order of the Board.
(4)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph, the Board shall select, appoint, and fix the compensation of temporary election workers to operate Vote Centers, including site coordinators, who shall oversee the operations of Vote Centers in accordance with rules prescribed by the Board, and election workers, who shall assist the site coordinators. Site coordinators shall be qualified registered electors in the District. Election workers shall be individuals who are at least 16 years of age by the day that they are working in this capacity, who reside in the District of Columbia, and who are enrolled in or have graduated from a public or private secondary school or an institution of higher education. An election worker shall be required to:
(i) Complete at least 4 hours of training;
(ii) Receive certification as an election worker under standards that the Board shall promulgate; and
(iii) Take and sign an oath of office or affirmation to perform the duties of office honestly, faithfully, and promptly.
(B) The Board shall establish standards to measure the performance of election workers, including the past performance of an election worker, and consider the election worker's past performance before appointing the election worker to work as an election worker in a subsequent election. Past service as an election worker shall not entitle a person to appointment as an election worker in a subsequent election.
(C) Election workers, including site coordinators, who are District government employees are not required to be District residents or qualified electors.
(f)(1) The Board shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to ensure that all persons responsible for the proper administration of this subchapter maintain a position of strict impartiality and refrain from any activity which would imply support or opposition to:
(A) A candidate or group of candidates for office in the District of Columbia; or
(B) Any political party or political committee.
(2) As used in this subsection, the terms “office,” “political party,” and “political committee” shall have the same meaning as that prescribed in § 1-1161.01.
(g) Notwithstanding provisions of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act (§ 2-501 et seq.), the Board may hear any case brought before it under this subchapter by 1 member panels. An appeal from a decision of any such 1 member panel may be taken to either the full Board or to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, at the option of any adversely affected party. If appeal is taken directly to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the decision of a 1 member panel shall be, for purposes of such appeal, considered to be a final decision of the Board. If an appeal is taken from a decision of a 1 member panel to the full Board, the decision of the 1 member panel shall be stayed pending a final decision of the Board. The Board may, upon a vote of the majority of its members, hear de novo all issues of fact or law relating to an appeal of a decision of a 1 member panel, except the Board may decide to consider only the record made before such 1 member panel. A final decision of the full Board, relating to an appeal brought to it from a 1 member panel, shall be appealable to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in the same manner and to the same extent as all other final decisions of the Board.
(h)(1) The Board, pursuant to regulations of general applicability, shall have the power to:
(A) Require by subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of documents relating to the execution of the Board’s duties; and
(B) Order that testimony in any proceeding or investigation be taken by deposition before any person who is designated by the Board, and has the power to administer oaths and, in these instances, to compel the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of documents by subpoena.
(2) The Board may petition the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to enforce the subpoena or order, in the case of a refusal to obey a subpoena or order of the Board issued pursuant to this subsection. Any person failing to obey the Court’s order may be held in contempt of court.
(i) The Board shall cause the following information to be posted at each Vote Center on the day of each election for federal office:
(1) A sample version of the ballot that will be used for the election;
(2) The election and the hours during which Vote Centers will be open;
(3) Instructions on the proper manner of completing a ballot, including a special ballot;
(4) Instructions for mail-in registrants and first-time voters under section 303(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 [42 U.S.C. § 15483(b)];
(5) General information on voting rights under applicable federal and District laws, including the right to cast a special ballot and instructions to contact the appropriate officials if these rights are alleged to have been violated;
(6) General information on federal and District law regarding prohibitions on acts of voter fraud and misrepresentation; and
(7) The documentation required for a qualified elector to verify residency and register to vote at the Vote Center.
(j) Not later than 90 days after the date of each regularly scheduled general election for federal office, the Board shall submit to the Mayor a report, in the format established by the United States Election Assistance Commission, on the number of mail-in ballots sent to absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters for the election and the number of ballots which were returned by those voters to the Board. The report shall be transmitted by the Mayor to the United States Election Assistance Commission, and shall be made available to the general public.
(k) Within 90 days following a general election, the Board shall publish on its website an after-action report. The report shall include the following information:
(1) The total number of votes cast, broken down by type of ballot, and including the number of spoiled ballots and special ballots that were not counted;
(2) The number of persons registered:
(A) More than 21 days preceding the election;
(B) Between 21 days preceding the election and the date of the election; and
(C) On the date of the election;
(3) The number of election workers, by Vote Center;
(4) Copies of any unofficial summary reports generated by the Board on election night;
(5) A synopsis of any issues identified in site coordinator or area representative logs;
(6) Performance measurement data of election workers;
(7) A description of any irregularities experienced during early voting and on election day;
(7A) Recommendations for means by which the efficiency, accuracy, and speed of counting and reporting election results can be improved, including equipment or technology and an estimate of associated costs; and
(8) Any other information considered relevant by the Board.
(l) For the purposes of implementing the duties under subsection (a)(19) of this section, the Board may loan a mobile device to a candidate, qualified petition circulator, or proposer to utilize the mobile application. The Board may charge a reasonable refundable deposit for the use of the mobile device.
(m) By July 1, 2021, and biennially thereafter, the Board and the Corrections Information Council, established by § 24-101.01, shall jointly submit a report to the Mayor and Council on the Restore the Vote Amendment Act of 2020 ("Act"), including:
(1) The number of incarcerated qualified electors registered since the Act's effective date [April 27, 2021], or, beginning in the July 1, 2023 report, since the date of the previous report;
(2) The number of incarcerated registered qualified electors who voted, for each election held since the Act's effective date [April 27, 2021][,] or, beginning in the July 1, 2023 report, since the date of the previous report;
(3) An analysis of the Act's implementation and any identifiable challenges; and
(4) Any policy or legislative recommendations to ensure that all incarcerated qualified electors have a meaningful opportunity to register and vote.
(Aug. 12, 1955, 69 Stat. 700, ch. 862, § 5; Oct. 4, 1961, 75 Stat. 817, Pub. L. 87-389, § 1(3), (4), (5), (6); Apr. 22, 1968, 82 Stat. 103, Pub. L. 90-292, § 4(3); Dec. 23, 1971, 85 Stat. 789, Pub. L. 92-220, § 1(5)-(7), (28), (29); Aug. 14, 1973, 87 Stat. 311, Pub. L. 93-92, § 1(2)-(7); Jan. 3, 1975, 88 Stat. 2177, Pub. L. 93-635, § 13; Dec. 16, 1975, D.C. Law 1-37, § 2(1), (2), 22 DCR 3426; Dec. 16, 1975, D.C. Law 1-38, § 4, 22 DCR 3433; Feb. 17, 1976, D.C. Law 1-45, § 2, 22 DCR 4678; Sept. 2, 1976, D.C. Law 1-79, title I, § 102(5), (6), title V, §§ 502, 503, 23 DCR 2050; Apr. 23, 1977, D.C. Law 1-126, title I, § 103(b), title III, § 301(c)-(f), title IV, § 402, 24 DCR 2372; June 28, 1977, D.C. Law 2-12, § 6(j), 24 DCR 1442; Aug. 18, 1978, D.C. Law 2-101, § 2, 25 DCR 257; Mar. 3, 1979, D.C. Law 2-139, § 3205(v), 25 DCR 5740; Oct. 8, 1981, D.C. Law 4-35, § 3, 28 DCR 3376; Mar. 16, 1982, D.C. Law 4-88, § 2(d), (p), (q), 29 DCR 458; July 1, 1982, D.C. Law 4-120, § 2(a), 29 DCR 2064; Aug. 2, 1983, D.C. Law 5-17, § 5(b), 30 DCR 3196; Oct. 9, 1987, D.C. Law 7-36, § 3, 34 DCR 5321; Mar. 16, 1988, D.C. Law 7-92, § 3(a)-(c), 35 DCR 716; Mar. 11, 1992, D.C. Law 9-75, § 2(a), 39 DCR 310; Oct. 20, 1999, D.C. Law 13-40, § 2, 46 DCR 6550; June 21, 2003, D.C. Law 15-18, § 2(a), 50 DCR 3389; Sept. 30, 2004, D.C. Law 15-188, § 2, 51 DCR 6732; Dec. 7, 2004, D.C. Law 15-218, § 2(b), 51 DCR 9132; Apr. 7, 2006, D.C. Law 16-91, § 127(a), 52 DCR 10637; Apr. 24, 2007, D.C. Law 16-305, § 6(a), 53 DCR 6198; Oct. 18, 2007, D.C. Law 17-26, § 2(b), 54 DCR 8018; Feb. 6, 2008, D.C. Law 17-108, § 205, 54 DCR 10993; Feb. 4, 2010, D.C. Law 18-103, § 2(c), 56 DCR 9169; Mar. 31, 2011, D.C. Law 18-330, § 2(a), 58 DCR 20; June 16, 2011, D.C. Law 19-7, § 2(a), 58 DCR 3882; Apr. 27, 2012, D.C. Law 19-124, § 501(g)(4), 59 DCR 1862; June 5, 2012, D.C. Law 19-137, §§ 121(a), 201(a), 59 DCR 2542; May 2, 2015, D.C. Law 20-273, § 2(a), 62 DCR 1938; Oct. 8, 2016, D.C. Law 21-160, § 1072(b), 63 DCR 10775; Aug. 19, 2017, D.C. Law 22-13, § 2(b), 64 DCR 6245; Feb. 22, 2019, D.C. Law 22-205, § 2(a), 65 DCR 12361; Mar. 13, 2019, D.C. Law 22-250, § 5(c), 66 DCR 985; May 23, 2019, D.C. Law 22-315, § 5, 66 DCR 1983; Dec. 24, 2019, D.C. Law 23-36, § 2(a), 66 DCR 14304; June 24, 2020, D.C. Law 23-112, § 2, 67 DCR 5066; Mar. 16, 2021, D.C. Law 23-192, § 2(d), 68 DCR 001073; Apr. 27, 2021, D.C. Law 23-277, § 2(b), 67 DCR 13867; Apr. 6, 2023, D.C. Law 24-342, § 3(c), 69 DCR 14609.)
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 1-1306.
1973 Ed., § 1-1105.
Section References
This section is referenced in § 1-1001.07, § 1-1001.10, § 1-1001.15, and § 1-1001.17.
Cross References
Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, elections, see § 1-309.05 et seq.
District of Columbia administration, volunteers, see § 1-319.01.
Applicability
Applicability of D.C. Law 24-342: § 10 of D.C. Law 24-342 provided that the amendment to paragraph (10A) and the creation of paragraphs (10E) and (21) of this section by § 3(c) of D.C. Law 24-342 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.
Section 7196 of D.C. Law 24-45 repealed section 4 of D.C. Law 23-192 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by Law 23-192 has been implemented.
Section 7183 of D.C. Law 24-45 repealed section 10(a) of D.C. Law 22-250 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by Law 22-250 has been implemented.
Section 7196 of D.C. Act 24-159 repealed section 4 of D.C. Law 23-192 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by Law 23-192 has been implemented.
Section 7183 of D.C. Act 24-159 repealed section 10(a) of D.C. Law 22-250 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by Law 22-250 has been implemented.
Applicability of D.C. Law 23-192: § 4 of D.C. Law 23-192 provided that the change made to this section by § 2(d)(1) of D.C. Law 23-192 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.
Applicability of D.C. Law 22-250: § 10 of D.C. Law 22-250 provided that the change made to this section by § 5(c) of D.C. Law 22-250 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.
Emergency Legislation
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 4 of Advisory Neighborhood Commission Redistricting Deadline Extension Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-451, June 28, 2022, 69 DCR 007760).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 4 of Advisory Neighborhood Commission Redistricting Deadline Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-347, Mar. 28, 2022, 0 DCR 0).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 201(b) of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-76, May 3, 2021, 68 DCR 004935).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b)(2) of Election Worker Residency Requirement Waiver Temporary Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-170, Dec. 23, 2020, 67 DCR 13214).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 201(b) of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-437, Oct. 28, 2020, 67 DCR 12993).
For temporary (90 days) , see § 2(a) of General Election Preparations Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-422, Oct. 26, 2020, 67 DCR 12827).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b)(2) of Election Worker Residency Requirement Waiver Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-410, Oct. 5, 2020, 67 DCR 11511).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 804(b)(2) of Coronavirus Support Second Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-405, Aug. 19, 2020, 67 DCR 10235).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of General Election Preparations Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-382, Aug. 13, 2020, 67 DCR 9865).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 201(b) of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-336, July 22, 2020, 67 DCR 9148).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 804(b) of Coronavirus Support Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-328, June 8, 2020, 67 DCR 7598).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 804(b) of Coronavirus Support Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-326, May 27, 2020, 67 DCR 7045).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Primary Election Filing Requirement Emergency Amendment Act of 2019 (D.C. Act 23-198, Jan. 16, 2020, 67 DCR 583).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(a) of Primary Date Alteration Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2019 (D.C. Act 23-81, July 16, 2019, 66 DCR 8268).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(a) of Primary Date Alteration Emergency Amendment Act of 2019 (D.C. Act 23-56, May 29, 2019, 66 DCR 6786).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Board of Elections Domicile Requirement Emergency Amendment Act of 2019 (D.C. Act 23-16, Feb. 28, 2019, 66 DCR 2688).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Board of Elections Domicile Requirement Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-410, July 16, 2018, 65 DCR 7535).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Board of Elections Domicile Requirement Emergency Amendment Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-288, Mar. 26, 2018, 65 DCR 3326).
For temporary (90 days) requirement that the District of Columbia Board of Elections not comply with any request of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, see § 2 of Voter Rolls Protection Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-159, Oct. 23, 2017, 64 DCR 10770).
For temporary (90 days) requirement that the District of Columbia Board of Elections not comply with any request of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, see § 2 of Voter Rolls Protection Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-108, July 25, 2017, 64 DCR 7392).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Primary Date Alteration Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-106, July 25, 2017, 64 DCR 7388).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Primary Date Alteration Emergency Amendment Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-75, June 5, 2017, 64 DCR 6080).
For temporary amendment of section, see § 2 of the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics Subpoena Authority Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-409, July 22, 1998, 45 DCR 5178), see § 2 of the Board of Elections and Ethics Subpoena Authority Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Act 12-462, October 28, 1998, 45 DCR 7816), and see § 2 of the Board of Elections and Ethics Subpoena Authority Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-2, February 8, 1999, 46 DCR 2286).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Youth Pollworker Emergency Amendment Act of 2002 (D.C. Act 14-305, March 25, 2002, 49 DCR 3404).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Youth Pollworker Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2002 (D.C. Act 14-419, July 17, 2002, 49 DCR 7410).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(a) of Presidential Primary Election Emergency Amendment Act of 2003 (D.C. Act 15-43, March 24, 2003, 50 DCR 2805).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(a) of Presidential Primary Petition Waiver and Democratic State Committee Elections Emergency Act of 2003 (D.C. Act 15-135, July 29, 2003, 50 DCR 6857).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Presidential Primary Petition and Filing Waiver Emergency Act of 2003 (D.C. Act 15-207, October 24, 2003, 50 DCR 9853).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(b) of Help American Vote Emergency Amendment Act of 2003 (D.C. Act 15-283, December 18, 2003, 51 DCR 197).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(b) of Help America Vote Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2004 (D.C. Act 15-405, March 18, 2004, 51 DCR 3650).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Youth Poll Worker Emergency Act of 2004 (D.C. Act 15-494, August 2, 2004, 51 DCR 8791).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(b) of Help America Vote Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2004 (D.C. Act 15-658, December 29, 2004, 52 DCR 492).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Presidential Primary Ballot Access Emergency Amendment Act of 2007 (D.C. Act 17-231, December 27, 2007, 55 DCR 231).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(c) of Omnibus Election Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-236, November 30, 2009, 56 DCR 9154).
For temporary (90 day) addition of section, see § 2 of Precinct Boundary Changes Emergency Approval Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19-219, November 7, 2011, 58 DCR 9472).
For temporary (90 day) addition of sections, see §§ 101 to 120 of Comprehensive Military and Overseas Voters Accommodation Emergency Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19-230, November 16, 2011, 58 DCR 9942).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see §§ 121(a), 201(a)(1) of Comprehensive Military and Overseas Voters Accommodation Emergency Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19-230, November 16, 2011, 58 DCR 9942).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Presidential Primary Ballot Access Emergency Amendment Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19-260, December 21, 2011, 58 DCR 11230).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 401(g)(4) of Board of Ethics and Government Accountability Establishment and Comprehensive Ethics Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-298, January 29, 2012, 59 DCR 683).
For temporary (90 day) addition of sections, see §§ 101 to 120 of Comprehensive Military and Overseas Voters Accommodation Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-310, February 22, 2012, 59 DCR 1688).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see §§ 121(a), 201(a)(1) of Comprehensive Military and Overseas Voters Accommodation Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-310, February 22, 2012, 59 DCR 1688).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of the Presidential Primary Ballot Access Emergency Amendment Act of 2016 (D.C. Act 21-290, Jan. 27, 2016, 63 DCR 1205).
Temporary Legislation
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 4 of Advisory Neighborhood Commission Redistricting Deadline Extension Temporary Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-130, June 30, 2022, 69 DCR 004404).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of General Election Preparations Temporary Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-167, Dec. 23, 2020, 67 DCR 13022).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 201(b) of Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Second Temporary Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-151, Dec. 3, 2020, 67 DCR 9920).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 804(b) of Coronavirus Support Temporary Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-130, Oct. 9, 2020, 67 DCR 8622).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Primary Election Filing Requirement Temporary Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-69, Mar. 19, 2020, 67 DCR 751).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(a) of Primary Date Alteration Temporary Amendment Act of 2019 (D.C. Law 23-8, Aug. 6, 2019, 66 DCR 7343).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2 of Board of Elections Domicile Requirement Temporary Amendment Act of 2018 (D.C. Law 22-115, July 3, 2018, 65 DCR 5030).
For temporary (225 days) requirement that the District of Columbia Board of Elections not comply with any request of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, established May 11, 2017 (Exec. Order No. 13799; 82 Fed. Reg. 22389), see § 2 of Voter Rolls Protection Temporary Act of 2017 (D.C. Law 22-30, Dec. 1, 2017, 64 DCR 10170).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Board of Elections and Ethics Subpoena Authority Temporary Amendment Act of 1998 (D.C. Law 12-179, March 26, 1999, law notification 46 DCR 3405).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Youth Pollworker Temporary Amendment Act of 2002 (D.C. Law 14-169, June 28, 2002, law notification 49 DCR 7278).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2(a) of Presidential Primary Petition Waiver and Democratic State Committee Elections Temporary Act of 2003 (D.C. Law 15-55, December 9, 2003, law notification 51 DCR 1790).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Presidential Primary Petition and Filing Waiver Temporary Act of 2003 (D.C. Law 15-80, March 10, 2004, law notification 51 DCR 3372).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2(b) of Help America Vote Temporary Amendment Act of 2004 (D.C. Law 15-120, March 30, 2004, law notification 51 DCR 3807).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Help America Vote Temporary Amendment Act of 2004 (D.C. Law 17-127, March 30, 2004, law notification 51 DCR 3807).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of the Presidential Primary Ballot Access Temporary Amendment Act of 2008 (D.C. Law 17-127, March 20, 2008, law notification 55 DCR 4279).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 121 of the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Temporary Act of 2011 (D.C. Law 19-88, December 6, 2011).
For temporary (225 day) addition of sections, see §§ 101 - 120 of the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Temporary Act of 2011 (D.C. Law 19-88, December 6, 2011).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of the (D.C. Law 19-95, ).
For temporary (225 days) repeal of D.C. Law 20-273, § 5, see § 21 of the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Support Clarification Temporary Amendment Act of 2015 (D.C. Law 21-76, Feb. 27, 2016, 63 DCR 264).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of section, see § 2 of the Presidential Primary Ballot Access Temporary Amendment Act of 2016 D.C. Law 21-100, April 6, 2016, 63 DCR 2218, 20 DCSTAT 3140).
References in Text
Section 303(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, referred to in par. (4) of subsec. (i) is codified as 42 U.S.C. A. § 15483(b).
Editor's Notes
Section 7018 of D.C. Law 21-160 repealed § 5 of D.C. Law 20-273. Therefore the changes made to this section by D.C. Law 20-273 have been given effect.
Adjustments to voting precinct boundaries approved: Pursuant to Resolution 9-120 by the Council of the District of Columbia, The “Precinct Boundary Changes Approval Resolution of 1991,” the Council of the District of Columbia disapproved in part, and approved in part, the adjustments to voting precinct boundaries as adopted by the Board of Elections and Ethics on September 6, 1991, to be effective January 1, 1992: the Council disapproved the proposed change in the boundary between precinct 127 (Ward 2) and precinct 131 (Ward 6); the Council approved all of the remaining proposed changes affecting precincts 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 83, 114, 119, 128, 130, 131, 132, 133, and 134, and a map was included of such changes.
Precinct boundaries approved: Pursuant to § 1-1001.05(a)(8), § 2 of D.C. Law 7-36 approved boundary divisions for Precincts 50, 71, and 112 and the boundary line between Precincts 11 and 12.
Voting accessibility for the elderly and handicapped: Public Law 98-435 enacted the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act.
Applicability of D.C. Law 20-273: Section 5 of D.C. Law 20-273 provided (a) that the act shall apply upon the date of inclusions of its fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan; (b) that the Chief Financial Officer shall certify the date of the inclusion of the fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan, and provide notice to the Budget Director of the Council of the certification; and (c) that the Budget Director shall cause the notice of the certification to be published in the District of Columbia Register and that the date of publication of the notice of the certification shall not affect the applicability of the act.
The Budget Director of the Council of the District of Columbia has determined that the fiscal effect of D.C. Law 20-273 has been included in an approved budget and financial plan.
Change in Government
This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-211), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-213(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.
Resolutions
Resolution 14-541, the “Precinct Boundary Changes Emergency Approval Resolution of 2002”, was approved effective July 26, 2002.
Resolution 14-587, the “Ward 6 Precinct Establishment Emergency Approval Resolution of 2002”, was approved effective October 18, 2002.