The DC Board of Elections announced that Initiative 83 has enough signatures to be on the ballot this November. That means ranked choice voting and open primaries could be on the horizon for D.C., and, if voters approve it, could seriously shake up D.C. politics.
What Is I-83 Exactly?
The initiative has two main components: opening up primary elections and changing how votes are tabulated. Here’s what that means.
🔓 Open Primaries: There are over 70,000 independent voters in D.C. who are currently barred from participating in the primary elections. I-83 would open up the Republican and Democratic primaries to all locally registered voters.
✅ Ranked Choice Voting: Rather than choosing one candidate, voters would rank candidates by preference. So if someone doesn’t win more than 50% outright, the candidate with fewest first-preference votes gets eliminated and ballots for that candidate get evaluated based on their second choice. On it goes until one candidate gets a majority of votes.
How Did I-83 Get On the Ballot?
Organizers collected over 40,000 petition signatures, getting at least 5% of voters in at least five wards, and handed them over to the D.C. Board of Elections. On Aug. 2, the board-certified that I-83 will appear on the November ballot — pending any more lawsuits, of course.
Voting could look a lot different in D.C. (Hill Street Studios/Getty Images)
Second Time’s the Charm
D.C. Council Member Christina Henderson actually tried to pass ranked choice voting as a law in 2021, however, the attempt died on its way through council committees. Opponents claimed it would only exacerbate D.C.’s issue with undervoting.
Huddles Ahead
If it does pass in November, “it’s going to kickstart a firestorm,” says City Paper’s Alex Koma. It starts a two-year countdown for the Board of Elections and D.C. Council to figure out how to run and fund it all by the 2026 elections. Not to mention, D.C. Council will be a little pissed for having their hand forced.
How Would I-83 Change DC Politics?
We chatted with Koma on the City Cast DC podcast to find out.
