D.C. officials are preparing for the highest general-election turnout for a mayor’s race since 1998, with a ballot bolstered by the city’s first contest for attorney general and an initiative to legalize marijuana.
The city’s Board of Elections expects a roughly 40 percent turnout that could rival the contest 16 years ago, when 40.2 percent of voters cast ballots. That election saw Democrat Anthony A. Williams defeat then-Republican Carol Schwartz to win his first term after four-term Mayor Marion Barry declined to seek re-election.
About 25,300 of the city’s 458,304 registered voters have already cast ballots during two weeks of early voting. The turnout eclipsed that of early voting in the 2010 general election, when 13,415 people voted ahead of Election Day, said Denise Tolliver, spokeswoman for the D.C. Board of Elections.
In the mayoral race, Democratic nominee Muriel Bowser is hoping to coast to victory with the help of Democrats, who constitute 76 percent of the registered voters in the District. But opponent David A. Catania, an independent and longtime member of the D.C. Council, has run a campaign railing against the entrenched Democratic establishment while labeling himself the most progressive candidate in the race. Mrs. Schwartz, a former council member, is running for the office for the fifth time, this time as an independent, and is consistently polling in third place.
Seven D.C. Council seats are also up for election, though only the race for one of two at-large seats is considered a wide-open contest, with incumbents or Democratic Party primary winners almost assuredly secure in the other six races.
Voters on Tuesday will be asked to choose from five candidates in the city’s first election for an attorney general. The electorate voted in a referendum to put the previously appointed position on the ballot in 2010.
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The D.C. Council tried to postpone the race, citing a low level of interest from potential candidates and questions over the role of the new position, but criminal defense attorney Paul Zukerberg led a successful effort in federal court to restore the contest on the 2014 ballot.
Mr. Zukerberg filed as a candidate for the office, and his opponents in the race include Karl Racine, a partner at the 600-lawyer Venable law firm who has been able to raise the most money — almost $600,000 in a race that has amassed a total of $1.4 million.
Also campaigning for the seat are Lorie Masters, an insurance litigator with strong ties to voting-rights advocacy groups in the District; Edward “Smitty” Smith, a former federal attorney; and Lateefah Williams, former counsel for the Prince George’s County delegation to the Maryland state Senate.
Voters will also decide whether to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. Initiative 71 would legalize possession of 2 ounces or less of pot and allow residents to grow their own marijuana. However, it would not legalize the sale of the drug or allow for pot shops to pop up in the city — though the D.C. Council plans to adopt regulations that would sanction sales if the referendum effort is approved.
Voters across the city will also be asked to pick from 15 candidates for two at-large seats on the D.C. Council. Democrat Anita Bonds already holds one of the seats and is likely to retain it, but a slew of independent and third-party candidates are clamoring for the post being vacated by Mr. Catania that is set aside for nonmajority-party candidates.
The city’s 143 polling places will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Residents may register to vote at their polling station. Weather is not expected to be a factor, with the National Weather Service forecasting clear skies and high temperatures of about 70 degrees.
SEE ALSO: D.C. mayoral hopefuls Muriel Bowser and David Catania spar on education, homelessness
While the turnout is predicted to be high for a general election in a mayor’s race, it is not expected to be unprecedented. The 2008 general election in which Barack Obama won his first term as president had a higher turnout, at 62.5 percent, than current projections. Still, concerns about the timeliness and efficiency of the voting process linger after problems plagued the Board of Elections during April’s primary election, delaying the release of final results until nearly 2 a.m.
Ms. Tolliver said the board is hoping for a smoother night Tuesday and aims to release early-voting results between 8 and 8:30 p.m. and the first unofficial results from the day at 9:30 p.m.
“We have a timeline, everything has been tested, the equipment has been tested and everything seems to be working just fine,” she said.
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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