Independent Voters Gain Access to D.C. Party Primaries After Council Vote

Independent voters will be able to cast their ballots in D.C. partisan primary elections for the first time in District history beginning in 2028, following a vote from the D.C. Council on Tuesday.

The council passed a budget amendment 9-2 to fund “semi-open” primaries, allowing nearly 89,000 unaffiliated voters to participate in the party primary of their choice – a major win for independents in deeply blue D.C., where the Democratic primary is tantamount to the general election.

In 2024, 73% of the District’s electorate voted in favor of Initiative 83, which established ranked-choice voting and a “semi-open” primary system. But the following year, the council funded only the ranked-choice voting part of the referendum, effectively blocking the second half from taking effect.

Councilmember Christina Henderson, an independent, proposed the amendment to fund the inclusion of nonpartisan voters, primarily by pulling roughly $965,000 from D.C.’s workforce investment fund. The budget director said Tuesday there would still be $105.5 million left in the fund, which is used for pay increases and cost-of-living adjustments.

“Independent voters are not spectators, we are District residents,” Henderson said during the council meeting Tuesday. “We all have constituents who are federal employees and cannot affiliate with a particular political party. We have neighbors who are judges, who are members of the military, journalists or simply residents who have chosen not to join a party. Regardless of the reason, they care deeply about the city and deserve a meaningful voice in shaping its future.”

The vote could signal the end of a yearslong battle over how the District runs its primary elections. At the crux of the debate lies a delicate balancing act between protecting a party’s right to select its own nominee, and including the growing number of voters disillusioned with the party system.

The Democratic establishment in D.C. has long opposed the inclusion of independents in primaries, arguing party members should get to elect their own nominee without meddling from outsiders. The D.C. Democratic Party previously sued to block the ballot initiative including ranked-choice voting and “semi-open” primaries. But advocates such as Lisa Rice, co-founder and CEO of Grow Democracy DC, have claimed that closing off D.C.’s most consequential election amounts to voter suppression.

“I am thrilled the Council has demonstrated they agree with voters that the system works best when more people can participate,” Rice said in a statement after Tuesday’s vote. “D.C. voters have proven that, though democracy is not guaranteed, it can grow stronger if we never give up on fighting for it.”

Multiple councilmembers Tuesday noted that Henderson’s amendment felt like déjà vu. That’s because last year, Councilmember Brooke Pinto proposed a similar amendment, which failed 6-5.

Multiple councilmembers – including the Democratic nominees for mayor and D.C. delegate, Janeese Lewis George and Robert White respectively – flipped their votes to support the “semi-open” primary this time around. (Lewis George voted present last year, while White voted no).

Councilmember Zachary Parker also changed his vote. He said he was particularly moved by conversations with federal employees, journalists and other D.C. residents with politically sensitive jobs who face professional risks by registering with a party.

“I saw this effort as an attempt intentionally or unintentionally to weaken the Democratic party,” Parker said. “But I have been most moved by the neighbors that I have had heartfelt conversations with.”

“This is also an opportunity for us as a District, as a city, to make perfect our own local democracy while fighting on a national level for statehood,” he added.

Two councilmembers remained staunch opponents Tuesday: Chairman Phil Mendelson and Wendell Felder.

“Democrats should be selecting who their nominee is, Republicans should be selecting who their nominees are,” Mendelson said. “Not non-Democrats or non-Republicans.”

The only other independent on the council besides Henderson did not vote in favor of the amendment. Councilmember Doni Crawford instead voted present, taking issue with the referendum’s conflation of ranked-choice voting and “semi-open” primaries. She said she had heard from constituents who supported one aspect of the initiative but not the other. Councilmember Trayon White joined her in voting present.

Ben Brasch contributed to this report.