OpEd

2022 DC PRIMARY ELECTION VOTER GUIDE

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Denise Rolark Barnes

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Your Vote on June 21 is Your Voice for D.C.’s Future

Dozens of candidates are seeking political office in D.C. They have similar and opposing positions on a wide range of issues impacting the lives of D.C. residents. Whether they are incumbents or new to the D.C. political scene, there’s one thing now they all have in common. It is the special appeal they make each time they engage with voters. They simply say, “Chose me and vote on June 21.”

This Voters Guide intends to draw attention and action surrounding voting in the June 21 primary race in D.C. We want to familiarize voters with the candidates, not all, but those who took time to respond to questions our staff often hears voters ask. It also serves as a resource for voters who have questions about the voting process in D.C., from mail-in to in-person voting, important dates, and what incarcerated voters and returning citizens need to know.

While we wish every candidate could have participated in this guide, we ask readers not to judge those that didn’t. Visit our digital Voters Guide at www.washingtoninformer.com.

We are proud of our relationship with AARP-DC, with whom we partnered to host two candidates' forums – at-large and mayoral – and produce this Voters Guide. History has shown that seniors are the most active and engaged voters in D.C., and they are also our most loyal and faithful readers of The Washington Informer. Together, it is our pleasure to serve them.

We also appreciate the League of Women Voters of D.C. and the D.C. Board of Elections officials who agreed to support this Voters Guide with additional resources and information. With voting under attack in cities and states across the country, detailed instructions and transparency are crucial to ensuring a fair voting process and that voters are assured their votes count. The outcome of this election has implications for the future direction of D.C. and how each community will be affected. It’s too important a race for those who live here not to vote on June 21.

We want to extend our best wishes to each candidate that decided public service is a worthy and noble endeavor. We’ve watched your performances at candidates’ forums, covered some of you on the campaign trail, mingled with you at meet-and-greets, read about you in other publications, watched you on evening newscasts, and still receive campaign literature packed into our mailboxes every single day. We know how serious you are about winning, and we wish you the best of luck.

Once again, we remind voters to cast your vote in the D.C. Primary Election on June 21, or vote early while you can. Mark your calendar for November 8, when the general election is held, and the winners will be sworn into office in January 2023.

Next year also marks the 50th anniversary of D.C. Home Rule, an act signed into law on December 24, 1973. At the same time, Statehood is our ultimate goal. D.C. Home Rule was a long and hard-fought battle. It gave us the right to exercise our vote here in the nation’s capital, although our laws and budget are still subject to the approval of Congress and the President. We pay homage to those who led the battle for Home Rule and encourage those leading the fight for Statehood to stay strong.

Again, share your voice and vote on June 21.

WI

5 Denise Rolark-Barnes, Washington Informer Publisher

Use Your Power to Decide the 2022 Election

By Louis Davis, Jr. State Director, AARP DC

Americans 50+ are our nation’s most powerful voters – and you will be the deciders in the 2022 elections. The District of Columbia’s June 21 primary election will determine which candidates appear on November’s general election ballot for mayor, attorney general, members of the D.C. City Council, the D.C. delegate to Congress and other citywide offices.

AARP is calling on candidates to propose solutions to address the challenges facing voters 50+ and are proud to join with the Washington Informer to present this Voting Guide so you can learn where candidates stand on issues of particular interest to older Washingtonians and your families.

To help those 50+ make your decision, AARP DC has heard from its members about what issues are important to you and developed questions regarding specific topics. These questions were posed to all Mayoral and At Large candidates, and you will find their answers in the pages that follow. AARP DC has worked to provide you with the information you need to make a knowledgeable decision.

The issues AARP DC asked the Mayoral and At Large candidates to address, include: policies and strategies they would implement to help ensure no District senior goes without nutritious meals; how they would ensure a strong infrastructure plan is developed and executed; policies they would put forward to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in access to affordable, high-quality health care and; how they would ensure the District is meeting the health and long term care needs of LGBTQ+ older people including older people living with HIV.

Washington, D.C., and the Board of Elections has made it easy to cast your ballot, with same-day voter registration and no-excuse mail-in ballots sent to all registered voters. Here is some essential information: • Mail-in balloting: All active, registered voters should have received a no-excuse mail-in ballot for the primary election. You can return the ballot by mail or place it in a secure drop box located around the District. • Early in-person voting: You can cast your ballot early and in person at an Early Vote Center located throughout the District from June 10th-June 19th. • In-person voting on Election Day: The final day to cast your ballot in the primary is Tuesday, June 21. Find your polling place online at the D.C. Board of Elections website.

People 50+ are our nation’s most powerful voters – and you will be the deciders in the 2022 elections here in the District and nationwide. Our voices decide. But our voices won’t be heard if we don’t vote. Make the commitment now to be a Decider. Be the person who is committed to speaking up, voting, and holding elected leaders accountable. AARP DC is providing all voters 50+ in the District with accurate, up-to-date voting information to help you understand your options when it comes to how, when and where to cast your ballot.

Everything you need to know to vote in the DC primary can be found online at www.aarp.org/dcvotes. Be a Decider and vote. Our future depends on it.

WI

District of Columbia Know the when, where, and how. Then vote.

Voting is your most important right. But you have to be in the know to vote. Thatʼs why AARP District of Columbia has collected all the most up-to-date election information to make sure that voters 50-plus are heard on Nov. 8. Get the latest on how to register, where to vote in person, all the key voting deadlines, and more at aarp.org/DCvotes

facebook.com/aarpdc | @AARPDC

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