The national election grabs all the headlines, but the tightest contests in the District are between candidates for the elected office closest to residents: Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners.
Each Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) is a non-partisan body of elected officials that represents local community members.
The commissioners serve two-year terms without pay. Each commissioner represents a Single Member District (SMD) of approximately 2,000 residents. The ANCs’ main role in the District is to be their neighborhood’s official voice in advising the District government (and Federal agencies) on things that affect their neighborhoods, such as transportation, development and public safety.
Many of these races are conclusive, but a few candidates are separated by less than 20 votes– and one race in ANC 8D is deadlocked as of Wednesday morning.
DC Board of Elections (DCBOE) will count mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 if they are received by Nov. 13, and they have until Nov. 24 to finalize results. So these are unofficial, still-changing counts!
Here is how the contests have played out so far in Ward 8:
ANC 8A
ANC 8A serves the communities of Anacostia, Fairlawn, Sheridan and Hillsdale.
Many commissioners were re-elected without challenges. Holly Nuhammad returns to serve 8A01, Barbara J. Clark to serve 8A02 and Brian K. Thompson in 8A03. Laneice Moore appears to have won in 8A04, with 210 votes to 153 for Moses Smith, a 16 percent lead. Newcomer Jamila White took 71 percent of the vote and will represent SMD 8A05.
In the much-watched race in 8A06, Robin McKinney won with a significant lead over the three challengers, including contraversial candidate Isaac Smith. McKenney took 50 percent of the vote, and Smith 15 percent.
Too close to call Wednesday morning was the three-way race in 8A07, in Hillsdale. As of Wednesday morning, Steven Tiller led with 244 votes, 8 votes ahead of Terri L. Acker at 236. Acker leads George O. Reid Jr. by only two votes.
ANC 8B
Commissioners for ANC 8B represent Skyland, Woodland, Fort Stanton and Shipley south of Suitland Parkway.
Big change is coming to ANC 8B, where only write in candidates were the only option for 8B01, 8B02 and 8B07; DCBOE has not yet named winners in these races.
In 8B03, Incumbent Charles H. Wilson has a 12-vote lead on the nearest of two challengers to represent the SMD, and it could be enough to win. Alyce K. McFarland has 181 votes, 2.2 percent back and Joseph B. Johsnon has 168 votes.
Michelle E. Kiah has unseated incumbent Betty Scippio in 8B05, with a 31 percent lead in voting Wednesday morning. Kevin B. Coleman (8B04) and incumbent Humam Abdulmalik (8B06) were unchallenged on the ballot.
ANC 8C
ANC 8C represents residents of Congress Heights and Barry Farms neighborhoods, bordered to the east by the Elesavetgrad and Ada Israel Hebrew Cemeteries and Oxon Run Park and to the south at Atlantic and Chesapeake Streets SE.
Incumbent commissioners Salim Adofo (8C07) and Mustafa Abdul-Salaam (8C05) are the only two commissioners who will return to represent their SMDs next year. Regina Sharlita Pixley was defeated in 8C04 by challenger Travon Hawkins, who pulled in more than 56 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning. In 8C03, Robbie Woodland was defeated by Tasha J. Powell, who won more than 47 percent of the vote to defeat both Woodland and challenger Dolores Bryant.
New to ANC 8C as well are Kwasi Seitu, who ran unchallenged in 8C01 to take the seat vacated by Mike Austin, and Victoria Akinseye, who defeated Kendrick Daniel by a margin of 23 percent in 8C02.
ANC 8D
ANC 8D occupies the Southwest triangle of the District, sandwiched between the Naval Base to the west, Southern Avenue to the east and bordered on the north roughly along Atlantic Street SE.
ANC 8D06 was deadlocked Wednesday morning at 10 a.m., with Ayse Newhouse and LaVerne R. Glenn each having won 301 votes. By Thursday morning, Newhouse had moved ahead, amassing an additional 42 voteds to 27 accumulated by Glenn.
Patricia Janifer comes new to 8D07, where she was unchallenged in her bid.
Incumbent Commissioners Patricia (Pat) Carmon (8D01) and Olivia L. Henderson (8D02) each handily fended off challengers in their SMDs. Absalom Jordan (8D03) and Monique T. Diop (8D04) were unchallenged in their successful bids for re-electin.
No candidate was listed on the ballot in 8D05, although there were 94 write-in votes. DCBOE has not yet named a winner.
ANC 8E
ANC 8E represents neighborhoods roughly along the Oxon Run Park , including parts of Washington Highlands and Douglass.
ANC 8E incumbent Kendall Simmons was unchallenged on the ballot for 8E04, and Cheryl Moore reclaimed her seat, winning 52 percent of the vote in a race against two challengers.
However, change is coming to the ANC. 8E06 incumbent Christopher L Hawthorne appears to have been defeated by challenger Shaquan Hudson, who won 52 percent of the vote –a margin of 43 voters. In 8E06, incumbent Karlene Armstead was defeated by challenger Brittany Geneva Cummings by a 30 percent margin, and 8E07 will be represented by Jeannina Williams, who defeated incumbent Stephen A. Slaughter, racking up nearly 80 percent of votes cast in the SMD.
Newcomer Shekita ‘Ki-Ki’ McBroom was unchallenged to represnt 8E01, the SMD currently represented by Adeoye Owolewa. No candidate was on the ballot in 8E03, where 86 write-in votes were cast. DCBOE has not named a winner in that race.
Votes postmarked by Nov. 3 will be counted if received by Nov. 13. DCBOE has until Nov. 24 to finalize election results. You can see the updating results at electionresults.dcboe.org
