It’s primary election week in the District of Columbia. Sure, we don’t have legislative representation at the national level, but at least our congressional district is prettier than yours.
It’s an election year nationwide, and that means that it’s also time for those of us in the nation’s capital to pick the only voting representation we’re going to get. The District votes overwhelmingly for Democrats – it went 93% for Obama in 2008 – so that means that primary elections are a big deal since the winning candidate in this week’s primary election is a shoo-in come November in most city council districts.
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| There aren't any television ads, but the yard sign budgets must be huge. |
I took advantage of a light workload last Thursday to go and vote early at the DC BOEE (Board of Elections and Ethics) headquarters near Judiciary Square. It was nice to vote in person, but I really miss the days of punch card ballots that we used to have at the Tuckahoe Moose Lodge when I’d go watch my parents vote when I was growing up.
I was only able to vote via touchscreen, so I made it a point to spice it up by voting for a write-in candidate. The most notable positions that we vote for in the District (aside from the mayor, who’s not up for reelection until 2014) are our city council members. I live in Ward 2, and there’s just something about incumbent Jack Evans that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, most notably his puzzling support of putting a Redskins training facility on Reservation 13 which 1) is a lovely riverfront site that really deserves some kind of development that people can use, and 2) isn’t even in his district. Since he’s running unopposed, I had to pick a candidate of my own.
I wasn’t the only person to pick a candidate of my own – check out one of the write-in candidates in the Democratic primary at the precinct at my local library:
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| No, not Francisco Fimbres. |
However, the most interesting part of election season in DC are the unusual positions they have us vote for here in the District. Of course we have Eleanor Holmes Norton, our non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives for the last 21 years, but we also choose a “Shadow Senator” and a “Shadow Representative”.
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| Who else is looking forward to the ANC 2B01 election? Just me? Really? |
According to the documents from the BOEE these positions “are local D.C. offices which have the same title as the federal offices that will be created if the District becomes a state.” Officially, they’re supposed to be ready to step in the instant DC is awarded representation, but practically it means they don’t get paid to spend most of their time complaining about our lack of representation to anybody who will listen.
But even though we don’t have a vote in congress, hey: at least my congressional district makes sense. Check it out! Nice, square edges plus the Potomac River.
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| The District of Columbia: The Densest "State" |
You really can’t get a nicer looking congressional district unless you move to Wyoming.
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| Wyoming is also the only state with fewer people than DC. |
It’s certainly better than the gerrymander-tastic Maryland 3. Just look at that thing!
As one resident of MD-3 puts it, “it's so...contiguous”.
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