Mission

The Board’s mission is to enfranchise eligible residents, conduct elections, and assure the integrity of the electoral process. This mission, mandated by federal and local statutes, is executed through:

• Operation of the District’s voter registration system;
• By administration of the ballot access process for candidates and measures;
• Through delivery of comprehensive public, media, and voter information services;
• By maintenance of technical systems to support voting and ballot tabulation;
• Through the planning and implementation of each District of Columbia election; and
• Through the performance of legal counsel, rulemaking, and adjudication functions.

Goals and History

The District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics is established under §3 of the District of Columbia Election Act, approved August 12, 1955 (69 Stat. 699; DC Code §1-1001.01 et seq.). The District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics is vested with authority to administer and enforce the provisions of the District of Columbia Election Act, as amended, and the District of Columbia Campaign Finance Reform and Conflict of Interest Act, approved August 14, 1974 (88 Stat. 446; as codified in DC Code §1-1101.01 et seq. (1981).

The Board is composed of three members, no more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party, who are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council of the District of Columbia. The Mayor designates, from time to time, the Chairperson of the Board. The Board appoints:

• Executive Director who is primarily responsible for the administrative operations of the Board, including personnel liaison, budget submission, accounting, management of data processing systems, procurement of supplies and services, maintenance of voter records, election preparation, and other duties as delegated or assigned by the Board.
• General Counsel who shall be the Board's chief legal advisor and primarily responsible for representing the Board in all judicial proceedings relating to local elections, campaign finance, conflict of interest, lobbying laws, and other duties delegated or assigned by the Board.