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D.C. Municipal Regulations (Last Updated: September 13, 2017) |
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Title 3. ELECTIONS AND ETHICS |
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Chapter 3-5. VOTER REGISTRATION |
Section 3-500. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS
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500.1No person shall be registered to vote in the District of Columbia unless he or she:
(a)Is a qualified elector as defined by D.C. Official Code § 1-1001.02(2) (2014 Repl.); and
(b)Executes a voter registration application by signature or mark on a form approved by the Board or by the Election Assistance Commission attesting that he or she meets the requirements as a qualified elector.
500.2A person is a "qualified elector" if he or she:
(a)For a primary election, is at least seventeen (17) years of age and will be eighteen (18) on or before the next general election, or for a general or special election, is at least eighteen (18) years of age on or before the date of the general or special election;
(b)Is a citizen of the United States;
(c)Is not incarcerated, as defined in § 500.15, for the conviction of a crime that is a felony in the District;
(d)Has maintained a residence in the District for at least thirty (30) days preceding the next election and does not claim voting residence or the right to vote in any state or territory; and
(e)Has not been adjudged legally incompetent to vote by a court of competent jurisdiction.
500.3An applicant shall provide the following information on a voter registration application:
(a)Applicant’s complete name;
(b)Applicant’s current and fixed residence address in the District;
(c)Applicant’s date of birth;
(d)Applicant’s original signature; and
(e)Applicant’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)-issued identification number in the case of an applicant who has been issued a current and valid driver’s license, or the last four (4) digits of the applicant’s social security number. If an applicant for voter registration has not been issued a current and valid driver’s license or a social security number, the Board shall assign the applicant a unique identifying number which shall serve to identify the applicant for voter registration purposes.
500.4A person who is otherwise a qualified elector may pre-register on or after his or her sixteenth (16th) birthday, but he or she shall not vote in any primary election unless he or she is at least seventeen (17) years of age and will be eighteen (18) on or before the next general election or in any general or special election unless he or she is at least eighteen (18) years of age on or before the date of the general or special election.
500.5An applicant for voter registration who is unable to sign or to make a mark on a voter registration application due to a disability may apply with the assistance of another person as long as the individual’s voter registration application is accompanied by a signed affidavit from the person assisting the applicant which states the following:
(a)That he or she has provided assistance to the applicant;
(b)That the applicant is unable to sign the registration form or to make a mark in the space provided for his or her signature;
(c)That he or she has read or explained the information contained in the application and the voter declaration to the applicant, if the applicant cannot read the information; and
(d)That he or she has read or explained the penalties for providing false information on the registration application, if the applicant cannot read the information.
500.6If the applicant is unable to sign his or her name, the applicant may place his or her mark in the space provided for his or her signature and have that mark witnessed by the person assisting by having the witness also sign the voter registration application.
500.7If an applicant for voter registration fails to provide the information required for registration, the Registrar or his or her designee shall make reasonable attempts to notify the applicant of the failure. A reasonable attempt to notify the applicant may include a phone call, letter, or email. The Registrar shall choose the most efficient method of communication based upon the contact information provided by the applicant.
500.8Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, a voter registration application, or a notice of change of name, address, or party affiliation status, is considered to be received by the Board upon acknowledgement of receipt by the Board’s date-stamp.
500.9Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, the effective date of registration, or updates thereto, shall be the date that the application was received.
500.10The current and fixed residence address provided by a voter will be used to send any official communications required by law to the voter unless the voter provides an alternative mailing address.
500.11The information that the voter provides to the Board, such as that voter’s current and fixed residence, shall be sufficiently precise to enable the Board to assign the voter to the appropriate Ward, Precinct, and Advisory Neighborhood Commission Single-Member District (“ANC SMD”).
500.12Any applicant who provides on a voter registration application a registration address to which mail cannot be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service shall additionally provide to the Board a designated mailing address to facilitate any official communications required by law.
500.13Any applicant utilizing these procedures to fraudulently attempt to register shall be subject to the same criminal sanctions pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 1-1001.14(a) (2014 Repl.).
500.14The Board’s official Voter Registration Application cannot be altered in any way for use by another individual or organization for the purpose of registering electors in the District of Columbia.
500.15For the purpose of determining whether an individual is a qualified elector, a person is considered incarcerated if he or she is confined to prison, jail or penitentiary. A person is not considered incarcerated if he or she has completed the court-ordered sentence of confinement and subsequently resides in a halfway house or other community supervision center as terms of probation or parole.