Initiative 83 could change how elections are conducted in DC

D.C. will vote Tuesday on a ballot initiative that could dramatically change how elections are conducted in the District.

Lisa Rice supports Initiative 83, which is on the general election ballot. Identifying as an independent, she would like to be able to vote in primary elections. If passed, Initiative 83 would allow registered independents to vote in the Democratic or Republican primary, whichever they choose.

Because 76% of registered voters in D.C. are Democrats, the winners of the Democratic primary are almost assured of victory in the general election.

Rice says that disenfranchises the more than 76,000 voters who are registered as no party or independent.

“Expanding the franchise to 75,000 people,” Rice said. “Something that should have been done long ago.”

Deirdre Brown leads the effort to block Initiative 83 from becoming law.

“Most independents have decided to be independent because they don't share the values of any other party,” Brown argues. “So, you don't get to pick who the party puts up in the November general election.”

She says only members of a party should be able to vote for its candidate.

The other part of the initiative is ranked choice voting, where voters would rank their top five choices in races with more than two candidates, requiring the winner to get more than 50% of the vote.

“This is not good for District voters for three reasons,” Brown said. “One, ranked choice voting has been shown to suppress the votes of those who are of color, seniors and those with disabilities. The second reason is independents have chosen to unaffiliate with a party, and so home rule states and our primaries are partisan. Any independent up to and on the day of election can change their party and register to vote in the District of Columbia. And then the third reason is because there's a lot of outside money.”

D.C. currently doesn’t allow for run-off elections. In past elections, Councilmembers running in crowded fields have won with as little as 11% of the vote.

One concern raised by voters and elected officials is having two issues on the same ballot question.

“We put them together because they're really strong, pro-democracy, voter-first reforms, and it would seem a little odd for us to advance one and not the other,” Rice said. “They really go together.”

“I encourage you to get the facts before you vote,” Brown said. “There's a lot of propaganda. The other side, once again, has a lot of money coming in. Special interest groups who are controlling the message.”

If voters approve the measure, the D.C. Council, which has overturned voter initiatives in the past, would still have to approve it. The Council also would have to find funding to implement the changes.

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