If you have not yet received your ballot in the mail, you will need to vote in person, which you can do starting tomorrow, Tuesday, October 27. All the early voting locations are on the BOE website: https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org. Due to the pandemic, any voter in DC can vote at any in-person voting location. The website lists the approximate wait times at each location, so make sure to check before you head out to vote, and remember to wear your mask! 

If you received your ballot in the mail from the Board of Elections, you can still complete it and turn it in, either by dropping it in your nearest USPS mailbox (it's postage pre-paid, so you don't even need a stamp), or by dropping it in one of the BoE's many secure drop boxes (complete list of locations is at https://dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Mail-Ballot-Drop-Sites). 

If you decide to use your mailed ballot to vote, remember to register with the BoE's ballot tracker to get updates about the status of your ballot: https://votedc.ballottrax.net/voter/. The messages you'll get look like this:

Editor's note: I put my own ballot in the Northeast Library secure drop box and registered fro the ballot tracker app on Monday, October 5. I got the notification that my ballot had been received by the BoE on Saturday, October 10, and was accepted for counting on Monday, October 12. Dedicated W6D volunteer Frank Avery reported a similar timeframe for his ballot drop off to "accepted for counting" notice. 

Council member Robert White, the only Democratic At-Large candidate this year, has reached out to the Ward 6 Dems for support. CM White needs volunteers to support him and the entire Democratic ticket at the vote centers for Early Vote and on Election Day. We're not asking you to distribute literature this year, although we will have tables with literature for voters to pick up themselves if they choose. We need volunteers to wear "ASK ME" buttons and answer questions or otherwise assist voters, masked and from a safe distance. 

• Volunteer for Early Vote poll coverage: https://www.mobilize.us/dcdemsward6/event/350344/
• Volunteer for Election Day poll coverage: https://www.mobilize.us/dcdemsward6/event/353102/

In order for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (fingers crossed) to be able to enact their agenda and begin undoing the damage of the Trump administration, it is CRITICAL that Dems flip the US Senate blue this November. We have the opportunity to send a strong DC Statehood signal by actively supporting the Democratic candidates who have voiced their public support for making us the 51st state. 

You can help flip the Senate by donating to any/all of the following Senate candidates through dedicated "51st State" links. 

• Jaime Harrison (SC): leans R, currently tied

• Theresa Greenfield (IA): toss-up race, currently tied

• Steve Bullock (MT): toss-up race

• Jon Ossoff (GA): toss-up race

• Gary Peters (MI): toss-up race

• John Hickenlooper (CO): leans D, but R incumbent gaining

• Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

• All of the above + Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (donations split equally)

Let's make sure their Statehood support matters!

From the leadership team at at Decriminalize Nature DC:

If passed, Initiative 81 would designate entheogenic plants and fungi (iboga, ayahuasca, psilocybin, and mescaline-containing cacti) as the lowest law enforcement priority for DC’s Metropolitan Police Department. This change would help ensure that DC residents benefiting from these plant medicines - which can help treat depression, anxiety and addiction - are not subject to arrest or prosecution. These changes would help end another part of the destructive war on drugs while protecting DC residents using natural medicines to heal. Initiative 81 does not change penalties or legalize the sale of entheogens.

The DC DSC and the Ward 6 Dems support this ballot initiative. Vote YES.

No rest for weary election volunteers! Whatever the outcome in the House and Senate on November 3, experienced DC Statehood activists know work remains to be done. Join the DC DSC for their monthly Statehood Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 10, to strategize for the 117th Congress. Details and RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/dcdems/event/204310/. 

RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/dcdemsward6/event/354217/

We're excited to announce that the Ward 6 Democrats and the Hill Rag are sponsoring TWO nights of forums with the candidates for DC City Council At-Large. There are a total of 23 candidates, so you have a lot of choices, and we're here to help you distinguish among them. Remember, you get to vote for TWO at-large candidates. 

Dates: Monday, October 12 and Wednesday, October 14

Time: 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. (both nights)

RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/dcdemsward6/event/336969/

You can submit your questions for the candidates at debate@hillrag.com.

First of all, YES, YOU CAN STILL VOTE IN PERSON. But many of us would prefer not to because of the pandemic, and the DC Board of Elections has gone above and beyond to provide options.

Here's a run-down of the situation:

1. The Board of Elections is automatically mailing absentee ballots to every registered voter.
2. Those ballots have started arriving.
3. If you're going to vote by mail, you can send your ballot back through the USPS, no stamp required.
4. You can also fill out your mail ballot and put it in one of the BOE's secure drop boxes. All the drop box locations are on the BOE website: https://dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Mail-Ballot-Drop-Sites. 
5. The last official day to register to vote is October 13 (THAT'S TOMORROW). Get registration information at the BOE website: https://dcboe.org/Voters/Register-To-Vote/Register-to-Vote. 
6. After October 13, you can still register, but you will have to register and vote in person.
7. If your absentee ballot does not arrive il the mail by October 21, you should plan to vote in person.
8. Early voting opens October 27. All the early voting locations are on the BOE website: https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org. 
9. A list of all the election day precincts is also available on the BOE website: https://dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Election-Day-Vote-Centers. 
10. Due to the pandemic, any voter in DC can vote at any in-person voting location.
11. If you decide to use your mailed ballot to vote, whether you send it back via the USPS or put it in a secure drop box, the BOE has a ballot tracker you can register with to be updated about the status of your ballot: https://votedc.ballottrax.net/voter/. 

Our CM Charles Allen has also summarized this information on his website at: http://www.charlesallenward6.com/how_to_vote. 

Editor's note: I put my own ballot in the Northeast Library secure drop box and registered fro the ballot tracker app on Monday, October 5. I got the notification that my ballot had been received by the BoE on Saturday, October 10.

Our Ward 6 Dems community of 20+ volunteers has written more than 2,000 postcards in support of the campaigns of Rep. Abigail Spanerger and Rep. Elaine Luria in Virginia as well as Senate challenger Theresa Greenfield in Iowa.

But there's more work to do to flip the US Senate blue this November. We have the opportunity to send a strong DC Statehood signal by actively supporting the Democratic candidates who have voiced their public support for making us the 51st state. 

One way you can help is to donate to any/all of the following Senate candidates through dedicated "51st State" links. 

• Jaime Harrison (SC): leans R, currently tied

• Theresa Greenfield (IA): toss-up race, currently tied

• Steve Bullock (MT): toss-up race

• Jon Ossoff (GA): toss-up race

• Gary Peters (MI): toss-up race

• John Hickenlooper (CO): leans D, but R incumbent gaining

• Joe Biden

• All of the above + Joe Biden (donations split equally)

Let's make sure their Statehood support matters!

We need your help to turn out votes in the District, too. Council member Robert White, the only Democratic At-Large candidate this year, has reached out to the Ward 6 Dems for support.

You can request your Re-elect Robert White yard sign here.

CM White also needs volunteers to phone bank, share campaign literature with neighbors, or host your own virtual meet & greet. Email Matt LaFortune at mattlafortune@gmail.com if you're able to support CM White's campaign in any of those ways.