In the Nov. 8th General Election, DC residents will have the opportunity to elect the ANC (Advisory Neighborhood Commission) representative in their district. The ANCs are a non-partisan body of elected officials that represent local community members.
Commissioners serve two-year terms without pay. All commissioners in all wards are up for election this year. Each commissioner represents a Single Member District (SMD) of approximately 2,000 residents. The ANCs’ main role in the District is to be the official voice in advising the District government (and Federal agencies) on things that affect their neighborhoods.
The boundaries of the ANCs and SMDs are updated every ten years, based on the results of the latest decennial census. The latest boundaries were approved by the DC Council on June 7, 2022, and approved by Mayor Muriel Bowser on June 16, 2022. Updated ANC and SMD boundaries will be used for the November 8, 2022 General Election.
To see if your ANC or SMD boundary has changed, enter your address in the new 2023 Locate Your ANC/SMD tool at https://arcg.is/1PrKXG.
Changes to ANC Boundaries
In Ward 7, Kenilworth, Eastland Gardens, Mayfair-Parkside and River Terrace are now part of a reconstructed ANC 7D, which now goes south to East Capitol and across the river. ANC 7C includes Deanwood, Burrville and Lincoln Heights while ANC 7E now encompasses most of Marshall Heights and Benning Ridge. Greenway moves from 7F to ANC 7B, and ANC 7F now includes Fort Dupont, the Fort Chaplin Park Apartments and Hillbrook, as well as a portion west of the river.
The new boundaries of Ward 7 ANCs also include three neighborhoods west of the Anacostia: Kingman Park, included in 2000; the portion of Hill East that is east of 15th Street; and Rosedale. Both the latter were formerly in Ward 6. The Ward 7 Redistricting Taskforce incorporated these neighborhoods into two cross-river ANCs: 7D and 7F. Former residents of ANC 6A07, 6A08, 6B09 and 6B10 are now in Ward 7 ANCs 7D06, 7D07, 7D08 and 7D10.
Meanwhile, the former 7D01 retains the same boundaries but is now 7D05. ANC 7F07, which is entirely populated by the DC Jail, also remains the same. Phase 1 and 2 of Reservation 13 development, including the Park Kennedy Apartments (1901 C St. SE) and The Ethel (1901 C St. SE) are part of ANC 7F08.
Ward 8 has also been redrawn to include a west of the river commission, 8F, which includes Navy Yard and two ward 6 SMDs (8F04 and 8F05). East of the River, ANC 8B experienced the greatest amount of change, with much of 8B01 now in 8A; and much of Douglass-Shipley (formerly 8B07 and 8B06) now in 8E01, 02 and 03. Bolling Air Force Base is now split between 8D and 8C.
Changes in Representation
Many commissioners will not seek re-election for 2023. Tiffany Brown steps down in 7B02, having watched Skyland come to fruition. After co-chairing the Ward 7 redistricting committee, Tamara Blair steps down in 7D01, now the new 7D05.
But others are staying the course. First elected to represent 7C02 in 1992, Dorothy Douglas has represented 7D03 for 20 years, and now seeks re-election in the newly redistricted 7C07; she is running against incumbent Antawan Holmes, first elected in 2012.
Opportunities for Write-Ins
Many of the races in Wards 7 and 8 are extremely competitive. There are races in 7F05 and a three-way race in 7F07, which stretches from Stadium Armory Metro Station to Benning Recreation Center. But change has left an opportunity for write-in candidates in several Ward 7 SMDs including 7C06 in Burrville, where Patricia Stamper is running as a write-in candidate, and 7C03 east of Kelly Miller Park.
Candidates are on the ballot for nearly all of the Hill East ANC 7D SMDs. Returning commissioner Brian Alcorn steps up to represent constituents again in the new 7D08; Ashley Schapitl and Shane Seger are running to represent 7D09, Denise Krepp’s former ANC.
Alison Horn, former representative for 6B09, withdrew from her bid to represent the newly-constituted 7D10 after announcing a pending move. Brianne Eby is running for 7D10 as a write in candidate.
Although there is no representative on the ballot for SMD 7D07, the SMD north of C and east of 15th Street NE, Brian Voorhees is running as a write-in candidate. In terms of the full cross-river commission, there is not yet a name on the ballot for SMD 7D02, between Hayes Street NE and Benning Road NE along the Anacostia; nor for 7D03, which represents communities in the buildings bound by Hayes and Jay Streets NE, Mayfair and Paradise-Parkside.
There are also representatives needed for 7E01 and 7E02, on either side of Burns Street, SE; as well as 7E05 and 7E07. 7F04, from Eads Place to East Capitol Street NE; and 7F06, to the north of Fort Dupont Park.
In Ward 8, Four of seven commissioners are running for re-election in ANC 8A. Three people are running to represent 8A02, Anacostia north of Good Hope Road to a jagged line at 18th Street. Nobody is on the ballot to represent 8A07, but Laverne Glenn has filed as a write in candidate.
There are races in six of eight ANC 8C SMDs, with only current Chair Salim Adofo (8C07) and newcomer Georgette Joy Johnson (8C01) unchallenged, although Victoria Akinseye has filed paperwork as a write in candidate.
Although three races are challenged in ANC 8D, all in the Bellevue area, there are no candidates in 8D02, 8D03, 8D04 or 8D07. Those SMDs represent Blue Plains, the south portion of Bolling Air Force Base and DC Village. In 8D01, Homer L. Thomas has filed as a write-in candidate.
Although ANC 8E has candidates in 7 of 9 SMDs (and races in four of them), no one is in the race for 8E07 and 8E09, north of Southern Ave, and between Fourth and Seventh Streets SE. P. Long has filed as write in for 8E06.
Finally, Clayton Rosenberg has registered as a write-in for 8F05. There is no one on the ballot for that SMD, located on the west side of the river between the Southwest Freeway and I Street and along S. Capitol Street.
Write-In
Several individuals have filed as write in candidates. If you wish to vote for a write-in candidate, or an individual whose name is not printed on the ballot, you may write in that individual’s name on the blank “write-in” line and fill in the oval to the left of that line.
In addition to Patricia Stamper in 7C06, Vanessa Brooks has filed in 7E01, Laverne Glenn in 8A07,
Those candidates still have to file paperwork with the DC Board of Elections (202-727-2525) if they want to win the election as a write-in candidate. Write-in nominees have to file an Affirmation of Write-in Candidacy on a form provided by the DCBOE not later than 4:45 p.m. on the seventh day immediately following the election.
Write-in nominees who fail to submit the documents required by this section within the required times will be deemed “ineligible.” That means if they don’t file, they can’t win, even if they have a thousand votes and there is no other candidate.
Learn more about the 2022 General Election at dcboe.org. Learn more about ANCs at anc.dc.gov. To see if your ANC or SMD boundary has changed, go to the new 2023 Locate Your ANC/SMD at https://arcg.is/1PrKXG
