neighborhood news
Changes to Primary Voting Due to COVID-19 All Voters Encouraged to Request Mail-In Ballots by Elizabeth O’Gorek
L
ike everything else in the District, the 2020 elections will be affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. The District of Columbia Board of Elections (DCBOE) is encouraging all residents to request a mail-in ballot and vote by mail in the June 2 Primary Elections. Every eligible voter can request a vote by mail. This is especially important because DCBOE will not operate anywhere near the usual number of precincts, or voting places, on election day. For the 2020 June primary election, the usual 144 precincts will remain closed. Instead, DCBOE will operate the 15 Early Vote Centers and five additional, larger vote centers. These 20 voting places will be open from May 22 until primary election day June 2. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. On election day polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting centers will be closed Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, strict social distancing measures will be in place during line-up, registration or check-in and during actual voting at voter centers. Masks will be required to vote. DCBOE will also implement cleaning protocols on site. Same-day registration will still be available at these voting locations with a valid proof of residence, but DCBOE says these locations should be reserved for those unable to request a mail-in ballot. “These locations, while increasing in number, will adhere to CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19 and they should be reserved for those unable to request a mail-in ballot. It’s imperative that we protect our fellow citizens as well as the thousands of DCBOE volunteers and all of our employees,” said DCBOE spokesperson LaDawne White. The Board encourages ALL residents to request a mail-in ballot for the June Primary. Voters can request mail-in ballots: • online at https://www.vote4dc.com/ApplyInstructions/Absentee • via the DCBOE mobile app vote4dc • by calling the DCBOE at 202-727-2525 or 202-7415283, or by calling TTY at 711 • by fax at 202-347-2648 • or by mailing or dropping off in person a ballot request form to: DC Board of Elections, 1015 Half Street SE, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20003. 14
E a s t o f t h e R i v er D C N e w s . c o m
Forms are available online at https://dcboe.org/Data-Resources-Forms/Forms-and-Resources/AbsenteeBallotRequestForm.aspx DCBOE also mailed request forms to all registered voters in March and will send two forms and a postage-paid envelope in each Voter Guide by May 8. The guide is also available at dcboe.org/Elections/2020-Elections. The last day to request a mail-in ballot for the 2020 June Primary elections is May 26. Mail-in requests must be postmarked by that day, and DCBOE must receive the completed ballot from voters no later than June 9, 2020. You can track your mail-in ballot online at https://dcboe.org/Voters/Absentee-Voting/Track-Absentee-Ballot
Primary Candidates for Ward 7 and Ward 8 Council Seats
The council seats for both Ward 7 and Ward 8 are on the primary election ballot this June. Five candidates are challenging the incumbent Ward 7 councilmember in the race for the Democratic nomination. In Ward 8, there are four candidates, including the current councilmember, seeking the Democratic nomination. There is also a sole candidate for the Republican nomination in Ward 8. The winners of the primary nomination for each party will appear on the ballot in November, but many consider the June Primary Elections the true race-to-watch in the District. Here are thumbnail sketches of the candidates currently registered to appear on the ballot in June: Candidates are listed alphabetically by party, with incumbents appearing at the end of the list.
WARD 7 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Kelvin Brown has lived in the Hillcrest community for nearly a decade. He grew up in a poor, working-class Alabama family where he said he realized early on that education was the pathway out of poverty. He has degrees in criminal law and business administration from Alabama State, where he received a presidential scholarship. Brown served nearly 10 years and was deployed on three different missions as a Sergeant in the United States Army. He received the US Army Achievement Medal and
the National Defense Service Medal. He currently manages an affordable housing portfolio for federal affordable housing financing enterprise Fannie Mae. kelvinebrown.com Twitter: @votekelvinbrown Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kel.Brown02 Instagram: @votekelvinbrown Email: kelvinbrown4dc@gmail.com Anthony Lorenzo Green is a third generation Washingtonian, born and raised in Ward 7 by his grandmother in the Deanwood community. A product of DC Public Schools, he attended Merritt Elementary Extended School and H.D. Woodson Senior High School in Northeast, D.C. He currently serves as Commissioner for Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 7C04. Green served as an Unemployment Compensation Adjudicator for the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES) where he conducted fact-finding investigations to render determinations associated with benefit claims. He also served on the agency’s Integrity Taskforce from 2014 to 2016, a cross-function committee that crafted ideas and solutions to reduce the improper payment rate for unemployment benefits, and expanded access to information for clients. Green received the 2018 Jerry N. Clark “Civic Superhero” Award for being a justice reformer by DC for Democracy, and 2014 “Men of Valor” Award by Angels of Hope Ministries for his contribution to the lives of Southeast families. greenward7.com Twitter: @GreenForWard7 Facebook/Instagram: @GreenforWard7 Email: info@greenward7.com James Leroy Jennings was born in South Carolina but has lived in DC for over 30 years. For the last fourteen years, he has made his home in the Deanwood Neighborhood. A former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Jennings is also a veteran of the Armed Forces, a retired Metropolitan Police Reserve Officer and a former DC Protective Services Police Sergeant with the DC Department of Mental Health. Before the Coronavirus hit, Jennings was a volunteer barber at nursing homes, giving free haircuts and shaves to res-
