YOUR 2020 ELECTION GUIDE
Candidates for D.C. Council at-large seats answer burning questions on everything from rent control and restaurants to whether Mayor Bowser and Chief Newsham are doing a good job.
INTERVIEWS BY
Amanda Michelle Gomez Laura Hayes Will Lennon Sarah Marloff Mitch Ryals Tom Sherwood Kelyn Soong Elizabeth Tuten The good news, D.C., is that you have options when it comes to selecting the next two at-large councilmembers. The bad news is that you might have too many. While the COVID-19 pandemic has completely uprooted traditional campaigning, a ridiculous number of candidates are running for two open seats on the D.C. Council. The stacked ballot, featuring 24 candidates, is in part a function of D.C.’s new publicly funded campaign program, which has given out almost $900,000 to at-large Council candidates as of press time. So how the hell are you supposed to make your choice from this list of two dozen aspiring elected officials? We hope this guide will help. We asked 22 candidates the same questions about prominent issues in D.C., including housing, education, and policing, among others. (Rick Murphree dropped out of the race after ballots were printed and Kathy Henderson declined our invitation to participate.) Their answers, like their politics, run the gamut. The field includes political newcomers, former D.C. government employees, progressives, moderates, and one former councilmember gunning for his third trip to the Wilson Building. Each voter gets to select two candidates from the list of 24. One seat is reserved for a non-Democrat. Incumbent At-Large Councilmember Robert White is seeking re-election as the Democratic nominee and faces a field of independents, one Libertarian, one member of the Statehood Green Party, and one Republican. Traditional thinking would presume that White is a lock for one of the seats, but the abnormally large field calls that into question. Also in the guide, City Paper contributor and new D.C. voter Sarah Marloff has you covered with instructions on how, where, and when to cast your ballot. And Food Editor Laura Hayes breaks down Initiative 81, a largely symbolic measure aimed at lessening criminal enforcement for possessing, cultivating, purchasing, or distributing magic mushrooms and other natural psychedelic plants. Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting centers open across D.C. on Oct. 27. As a pandemic-related safety precaution, the DC Board of Elections has also sent ballots to every registered voter in the District, so you can mail in or turn in your ballot at drop boxes before then. —Mitch Ryals
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