The COVID-19 pandemic has community members rightfully focused on their safety and protection. But this public health crisis has eclipsed some very important events that are on the books in DC: the upcoming elections. The primary election is still scheduled for June 2, the special election to fill the DC Council vacancy in Ward 2 is scheduled for June 16, and the general election is slated for Nov. 3.
For the June elections, DC officials are encouraging residents to request a ballot by mail so that they don’t have to visit one of the District’s vote centers on Election Day or during the period for early voting, which starts May 22. Mail-in ballots will be sent out beginning in early May.
Concern about the spread of the novel coronavirus led to widespread voluntary social distancing even before Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a mandatory stay-at-home order as well as a ban on gatherings over 10 people — both currently in effect through May 15. And while that may be helping flatten the curve, it has greatly interfered with typical election practices. Campaigns traditionally rely on door-to-door canvassing, meet-and-greets, rallies and parties to meet prospective voters. As the coronavirus began impacting District residents (3,098 positive tests and 112 deaths, as of April 20), candidates had to change their game plan, relying more on telecommunications and less on in-person contact.
The DC Line connected with several DC Council candidates via email to find out how they are campaigning during this global health pandemic.
At-large
Robert White Jr. is running for reelection to one of the two at-large DC Council seats on the ballot this election cycle. He does not have a challenger for the Democratic nomination.
White chairs the Facilities and Procurement Committee and, with all of his colleagues, co-introduced the COVID-19 Response Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 and the COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Amendment Act of 2020. White told The DC Line in mid-March that he had halted his planned in-person campaign activities.
“As a sitting Council member, my first responsibility is to help residents get through this outbreak and then recover, so my time is going there. I’ve suspended in-person campaign events indefinitely, out of concern for everyone’s safety and to meet the rising demands. I’ll be hosting a few virtual events just to be able to check in with residents on a more personal level.”
Also running for one of the two at-large council seats up in November is the former DC Fiscal Policy Institute head, Ed Lazere. On March 17, the same day the council approved the first COVID-19 response bill, Lazere announced that he would run for the position as an independent candidate. “It’s definitely awkward to be announcing a campaign in the middle of a pandemic,” he told The DC Line at the time.
Lazere doesn’t face some of the immediate challenges confronting candidates on the June ballots, but he and his team are adjusting their long-range plan accordingly.
“We had hoped to do meet-and-greets [with community leaders], and we’re already working to set up our first one by video conference,” he said in late March. “I had hoped to connect with ANCs and civic associations, and I’m exploring how I can join their remote meetings if they are still happening. Voter engagement is still possible — it just requires new approaches that may not be as good as the old ones.”
Ward 4
In Ward 4, Janeese Lewis George is one of two candidates running in the Democratic primary against incumbent Brandon Todd. The Manor Park resident is participating in the voluntary DC Fair Elections program, which establishes campaign contribution and expenditure limits as well as reporting requirements. Her campaign manager, Alex Dodds, explained in a March 19 email that her team had knocked on 30,000 doors and surpassed the Fair Elections match maximum in fundraising.
“Knocking doors was definitely the centerpiece of our approach and that’s just not safe to do right now. The good news is that we have a lot of other tools we can safely still use. We were already starting to text, call and send mail to Ward 4 residents and now we’ll lean into those more. We’re also looking into ways to hold virtual events though we want to make sure those are accessible for everyone so we’re being deliberate about how we do it.”
Several of those virtual events have taken place in recent days. George held a “virtual conference” on education and participated in an online town hall on environmental justice; she was also joined three Ward 2 candidates Monday night as participants in a Zoom meeting held by Sunrise DC with contenders for an endorsement.
Ward 7
Five challengers are running against Vincent Gray, current Ward 7 council member, in the Democratic primary. The DC Line connected with three of them to find out about their game plans.
Former U.S. Army Sgt. Kelvin Brown says he is seeking support while helping neighbors stay safe. Once a high school math teacher and now a senior program manager for Fannie Mae, Brown is looking to safely reach out to as many of his neighbors as possible.
“The COVID-19 virus has had a severe impact on many working families across Ward 7 and the District,” he wrote in a March 24 email. “Our campaign has been working with our partners and neighbors to deliver survival kits and health-safety information to thousands of Ward 7 homes to help during these uncertain times. However, our strategy continues as planned albeit virtually: bring together as many of my neighbors as possible to keep our community first, make sure we’re always involved in the decision-making process and our ideas and opinions are always valued.”
Anthony Lorenzo Green is also running for the seat. Green has served as a community organizer, former Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B chair and current commissioner for single-member district 7C04. Green recently criticized WMATA for cutting back bus service and creating more crowded buses for those who rely on transit for essential travel. Green’s campaign manager, Mysiki Valentine, said in a March 20 email that the campaign had suspended door-knocking efforts and begun using its phone bank to provide assistance to residents who need it.
“Team Green for Ward 7 will still be engaged by phone, online and by mail during this period. Our campaign staff has been using phone banking to reach out to residents in Ward 7 both about the campaign but to also match residents and seniors to mutual aid.”
James Jennings, an Army veteran and retired sergeant with the DC government’s Protective Services Division, has also thrown his hat into the ring for the council seat. Jennings said in a March 20 email that he is relying on electronic communications to get his name and message out to the masses.
“As a candidate for the Ward 7 city council seat, it was preferred to go to community meetings, attend neighborhood churches, visit Safeway stores in the community, and some schools. I also sent campaign flyers out to all neighborhood commissions in Ward 7 by email. I really focus on social media such as nextdoor.com, Facebook and Facebook messenger instead of knocking on Ward 7 voters doors.”
Ward 8
In Ward 8, two of the Democratic primary competitors seeking to unseat incumbent Trayon White shared their plans for outreach during the coronavirus outbreak.
Stuart Anderson, whose past community activities in Ward 8 have included rallying support for formerly incarcerated citizens, is co-founder of Don’t Mute My Health, a grassroots advocacy movement to alleviate food deserts and bring better access to fresh foods to neighborhoods in wards 7 and 8. Anderson is using online campaign tools to reach out to new voters and relying on his existing network to spread the word about his campaign.
“Learning how to campaign through the pandemic safely is the defining challenge of 2020. In this lockdown scenario, our ground game is almost impossible. We need to invite our campaign team and supporters to cyber meetings and forums. As we build a strong core of supporters, we need to ask them to help us reach even more people by door knocking using Ecanvasser or by phone canvassing.”
ANC 8C chair and attorney Mike Austin, whose past work includes helping former Council member LaRuby May write legislation on criminal justice reform and displacement prevention, says he is ready to lead. Campaign manager Breanna Bledsoe said in a March 24 email that Austin was making adjustments to protect residents as well as his volunteers.
“Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the Mike for Ward 8 campaign is taking the necessary steps to stop the spread and protect our community. We have explored alternative methods to canvassing that include social media outreach, phone banking and using safety precautions if we do talk to residents.”
Yaida Ford is in the Ward 8 race why did you overlook her Candace. Is there something wrong ?
We will be compiling a voters guide in the contested races, including Ward 8, that we’ll be posting in the coming weeks with information on all of the candidates. This story, though, is just a sampling of how some candidates are campaigning in the current environment. We do have another post listing all of the candidates and their websites: https://thedcline.org/2020/04/14/whos-running-in-dcs-june-2-primary-and-june-16-special-election/
Yaida Ford was contacted twice before the first draft was even submitted. She did not reply.
Yaida Ford was contacted twice before the first draft was submitted. She did not reply.