Vote in
District of Columbia
Pick a different stateRegister by October 13
The deadline has passed. If you miss the deadline, Same-Day Registration is available at Vote Centers during the Early Voting period and on Election Day. You complete a Voter Registration Application, swear or affirm that you are qualified to vote, and provide valid proof of residence.
Facts · Read Oct 26Check you are registered. If you are not, do it now.
Go to District of Columbia registration →Vote early October 26 to November 1
Open now
Today is the last day.
Monday, October 26 through Sunday, November 1, 2026, every day from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. You may vote at any Early Vote Center, and you can register and vote there at the same time.
Pick your day
Early voting is the real date. Same ballot, shorter line, and if something is wrong with your registration you still have days to fix it.
Facts · Read Oct 26Election Day, November 3. Last resort.
Where to vote
Find your polling placeYou do not have to vote at a location tied to your address: you may vote at any Early Vote Center or Election Day Vote Center. Enter your address in the Vote Center Location Tool to find one near you.Read October 26, 2026 from District of Columbia Board of Elections.
Registered at home but living somewhere else?What District of Columbia says to do when the address you are registered at is not the address you live at.
We have not confirmed District of Columbia’s rule for this from an official source yet, so we are not printing one. Check which address you are registered at, then ask that county election office what to do.
All the datesRegistering online, by mail and in person, checking your registration, your polling place, and when polls close in District of Columbia.
Register by
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 is the deadline for the Board to receive registrations sent online or by mail. After that, you can still register in person at a Vote Center during early voting or on Election Day with proof of residence.
Facts · Read Oct 26Register online
The Board must receive your online registration by Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
Facts · Read Oct 26Register by mail
Received, not postmarked: the Board must receive a mailed, emailed or faxed application by Tuesday, October 13, 2026. One received later is not processed until after the election.
Facts · Read Oct 26Register in person
You can register in person and vote at the same time at any Vote Center during early voting (October 26 to November 1) or on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Bring proof of residence showing your name and current DC address.
Facts · Read Oct 26Register and vote the same day
Check you are registered
The Board of Elections links this as "Check your Voter Registration Status". You can also call (202) 727-2525.
Facts · Read Oct 26Early, in person
Monday, October 26 through Sunday, November 1, 2026, every day from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. You may vote at any Early Vote Center, and you can register and vote there at the same time.
Facts · Read Oct 26Find your polling place
You do not have to vote at a location tied to your address: you may vote at any Early Vote Center or Election Day Vote Center. Enter your address in the Vote Center Location Tool to find one near you.
Facts · Read Oct 26Polls close
Election Day Vote Centers are open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Facts · Read Oct 26What to bringThe ID District of Columbia accepts, and what to do if you do not have one.
ID your state accepts
- Registered voters do not need to present identification or proof of residence to vote.
The Board still encourages you to take some form of identification in case you need it.
Facts · Read Oct 26If you do not have one
Carry a second document
- Current and valid District of Columbia DMV issued ID
- Government check or paycheck
- Bank statement
- Current utility bill
- Student housing statement/tuition bill
- Homeless shelter occupancy statement
- Lease
- Other government document with your name and address
Accepted proof of residence for same-day registration, a change of address, or a first-time voter who has not yet shown one. A check, paycheck, bank statement or utility bill must be dated within 90 days of Election Day, and the address must match your registration.
Facts · Read Oct 26Make the plan
Three taps. No account. It stays on this phone.
Roll Call
Lock your date, bring your people, and see how your side is doing.
Who runs your election
The District of Columbia Board of Elections administers elections in District of Columbia. Your county or parish election office runs the polling places, counts the ballots, and answers questions about your own ballot. They are the people to call, and the ones whose answer is final.
Statewide offices are the ones every voter in District of Columbia votes on, and every ballot counts the same from any precinct in the state. District seats are drawn on a map, so where you live decides which of those you vote on.
Some years a ballot also asks voters to change the rules of voting itself. Those questions tend to cover:
- what counts as ID at the polls or with a mail ballot
- how early voting and mail voting work, and by when
- how districts get drawn and who draws them
- how the election office itself is run and funded
We do not tell you what is on your ballot or what to make of it. Your sample ballot carries the official wording, written by the state. Read it at the District of Columbia Board of Elections.
Mail, honestlyVoting by mail works. It also has rules, and the rules are where ballots get lost.
Your dates are above: when to ask for the ballot, when it has to be back, what happens if a signature is questioned.
- Sign exactly the way you signed when you registered.
- Send it back early, not on the last day.
- Would rather not trust the mail? Check the early in-person window above and go in person.
Ask for your ballot by
Every active registered voter is mailed a ballot. You only need to request one if you will be away from your DC residence during the election; the Board must receive that request by Monday, October 19, 2026. If you have no mail ballot 7 days before Election Day, plan to vote in person.
Facts · Read Oct 26It has to be back by
A mailed ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and received by Friday, November 13, 2026. A ballot placed in a drop box, at a Vote Center, or at the Board office must be in by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Facts · Read Oct 26Track your ballot
The Board of Elections' Ballottrax tracker. You can opt in to updates by text, email, or voice message, and it tells you if your ballot needs to be cured.
Facts · Read Oct 26If your signature is questioned
Checking. The Board of Elections FAQ says it accepts information to cure a mail ballot up to seven days after the election, but its 2026 calendar lists Thursday, November 19, 2026 as the deadline to cure mail ballots. We are confirming which applies before we print a date. Ask your state election office.
The lineIf the line is long, that is not a reason to leave. It is a reason to stay.
Bring water. Bring a charger. Bring a chair if you can carry one, a book, and a friend. Check your bag rules with your county first. If you are in line when the polls close, stay in line: your state decides what happens next, and every state page here prints its own rule in its own words.
- Water
- A charger
- A chair if you can
- Something to read
- A friend
If you are in line when polls close in District of Columbia
Time off to vote
Your rightsA provisional ballot, help if you need it, and the number to call from the line.
You can vote a provisional ballot
If your name is not on the list, or you do not have what they ask for, ask for a provisional ballot. In a federal election you have the right to cast one. Ask what you must do afterwards for it to count, and write it down.
You can bring someone to help
You can bring a person of your choice to help you vote, with limits your state sets on who it cannot be. Ask the poll worker for the rule in writing.
Language and disability assistance
Polling places must be accessible, and many places must provide help in other languages. Ask for the accessible machine, the curbside option, or the language help you need.
If someone tries to move you off your vote
Questions about your citizenship, a crowd following you in, someone filming you at the door, a person telling you that you cannot vote: none of that decides your vote. Do not leave the line. Call the hotline from where you stand.
Sources: the District of Columbia Board of Elections, and the Election Protection coalition for the hotlines below.
Call from the line
If anyone tells you that you cannot vote, or you are turned away, or something feels wrong: do not leave. Call.
- 866-OUR-VOTE866-687-8683 · English
- 888-VE-Y-VOTA888-839-8682 · Spanish and English
- 888-API-VOTE888-274-8683 · Asian languages and English
- 844-YALLA-US844-925-5287 · Arabic and English
Election Protection, administered by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Numbers confirmed against their own site on September 19, 2026.
Your state election office is the final word. We print what its own pages say, with the date we read them.
Read on October 26, 2026 from your state election office, checked by AI against the District of Columbia Board of Elections pages. District of Columbia Board of Elections is the final word. See something wrong? Report it.