Voter Registration in Washington DC

Washington, D.C. Voter Registration

Voting is a privilege that many Americans have fought to preserve. To exercise your right to vote and make your voice heard, you must first register to vote in D.C.

Voter registration is available through the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), as well as by mail or in person.

Register to Vote in D.C.

It is everyone's civic responsibility to vote, but you must register first. In D.C., you can register to vote:

• Online.
• On the Driver License or Identification Card Application (Form DMVR-4), if you visit a DMV office in person.
• In person at a District of Columbia Board of Elections (BOE) office and other D.C. agency offices.
• At your polling place on election day.
• By filling out the registration form, printing it, and sending to to the BOE.

Applications that are filled out online can be printed and:

• Emailed as an attachment to DCRegistrations@dcboe.org.
• Faxed to (202) 347-2648.
• Mailed to*:

D.C. Board of Elections
1015 Half Street, SE Suite 750
Washington, DC 20003

If you are applying by mail and this your first time registering in D.C. you are required to include a photocopy of your current proof of D.C. residency.

Registration Deadlines

Deadlines depend on how you register to vote and what type of ballot you want to cast:

• If you register by mail, your application must be postmarked no more than 21 days prior to election day.
• If you register in person, you must do so:
  • Before early voting begins to use a regular ballot.
  • Up to and including election day to cast a special ballot.

Washington, D.C. Voter Registration Eligibility

According to the BOE, to be eligible to register, you must satisfy all of the following:

• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Be a Washington, D.C. resident.
• Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election.

• You may pre-register to vote when you are 16 years old.
• You may vote in a primary election if you are at least 17 years old BUT you must be at least 18 years old by the next general election.

• Not have been adjudged "mentally incompetent" by a court of law.
• Not claim the right to vote anywhere outside D.C.
• Not be currently incarcerated for a felony conviction.*

*Once you are no longer incarcerated your voting rights are automatically restored and you should re-register to vote.

Military & Overseas Voter Registration

If you are a D.C. resident but you are out of the district on military assignment, as the dependent of military personnel, or living overseas, you can:

• Complete the voter registration form, print it, and mail it to the DC BOE. See Register to Vote in D.C. above for more information.
  OR
  
• Complete the Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) (Form 76) through the Federal Voting Assistance Program.
  
  • This is both an application to register to vote and a request for an absentee ballot.
  • The FPCA application can be sent by mail, fax, or e-mail.

Absentee Registration & Voting

Name or Address Changes in D.C.

To change your name and/or address on your voter registration card, you must either update your information online or fill out and mail the voter registration form, making sure to include all of your updated information.

Alternatively, you can go in person to the DMV, BOE, or other D.C. agency and complete your registration.

See the section Register to Vote in D.C. for more information about submitting the application, and be sure to get your information in by the deadline:

• Postmarked no more than 21 days before election day, if submitting by mail.
• Completed in person before early voting begins, if you want to cast a regular ballot.
• Completed in person as late as election day to cast a special ballot.

If you also need to change your name or address on your Washington, D.C. driver's license or ID card, see our page Changing Your Name in Washington, D.C. or Changing Your Address in Washington, D.C.