Voting & Democracy.

Registered Voters

Voter registration numbers are high, but more needs to be done to increase participation.

As of June 30, 2026, there were 485,398 registered voters in the District.
An estimated 92% of DC’s adults are registered to vote based on the most recently available data. As of 2024 single year estimates (the most recent available in 2026), the District’s citizen population aged 18 and up was approximately 515,772 with 473,145 residents registered to vote as of November 30, 2025.
Approximately 50% of registered DC voters are Black, 31% white, 6% Latinx, and the remaining 13% other or unknown race. These estimates are within five or six points of the District’s overall population, but do not reflect voter participation rates.
In primary cycle 2026, 92% of registered voters with a party were Democrats, 6% were Republican and 1% or fewer each were Statehood Green or another party. Party affiliation across the wards was relatively consistent; only ward 6 had double digits of their voters register for a party other than Democrat (10%).

DC Eligible Voters by Age

18-29	30-44	45-64	65+
	25	34	25	16

Race & Equity

Registered Voters by Race (2023)

50%

Black

31%

White

Latinx

Ballots Cast

Voter participation varies greatly by ward and election cycle, with notable disparities across the District.

While there has been some progress toward higher turnout in recent years, major participation disparities continue to persist. For example, the two wards with the lowest voter participation in every election since at least 2014 (wards 7 and 8), include the highest number of Black residents, housing instability, and poverty rates. While the wealthiest ward with the highest number of white residents (ward 3) typically had the highest voter turnout in those same elections.
In the general election in years with a presidential election, the difference between the highest turnout ward and lowest turnout ward was 24% in 2024, 23% in 2020 and 22% in 2016. In the primary, it was 16% in 2024, 21% in 2020, and 14% in 2016.
In the general election in other years, the difference between the highest turnout ward and lowest turnout ward was 29% in 2022, 24% in 2018 and 21% in 2014. In the primary, it was 20% in 2026, 23% in 2022, 15% in 2018, and 20% in 2014.

DC Voter Turnout by Ward (2024 general)

Ward 1	Ward 2	Ward 3	Ward 4	Ward 5	Ward 6	Ward 7	Ward 8
	73	75	81	73	69	74	63	58

Voter Turnout

Participation is higher during presidential election years because the top of the ticket helps drive turnout.

Even though more District-wide seats are on the ballot during non-presidential election years, turnout drops during those cycles.
In addition to the presidential race, in 2024 DC voters cast their ballots for two at-large council seats and the ward 2, 4, 7, and 8 council seats were on the ballot during presidential cycle elections. Between the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections, voter participation increased from 22% to 28% and down to 26% in the primary, and 65% to 67% to 71% in the general.
During 2026 elections, DC voters are casting their ballots for mayor, attorney general, and council chair, two at-large council seats and the ward 1, 3, 5, and 6 council seats. Voter participation between the 2014 and 2018 elections decreased from 27% to 19% in the primary, but increased from 38% to 46% in the general, tracking with the Blue Wave other parts of the country experienced. In 2022 participation evened out a bit in the general (to 41% turnout) and continued to increase for the primary (to 32%). In the 2026 primary turnout was also 32%.

	Registered Voters	Ballots Cast	Voter Turnout
2026
Primary	485,398	155,940	32%
2024 Presidential Year
General	464,502	328,871	71%
Primary	378,821	98,221	26%
2022
General	504,815	205,774	41%
Primary	409,677	132,182	32%
2020 Presidential Year
General	517,890	346,491	67%
Primary	410,260	114,890	28%
2018
General	500,511	231,700	46%
Primary	479,723	89,513	19%
2016 Presidential Year
General	478,688	312,575	65%
Primary	461,575	100,423	22%
2014
General	461,325	177,377	38%
Primary	369,037	99,394	27%

Find more information about all the demographic measures in our data references section and visit our appendix to download a table with the full DC KIDS COUNT 2026 data set.