Washington, D.C
How to vote in DC: Everything to know, including registration info and deadlines
It’s almost Election Day, and it’s time to make sure you are registered and know where, when and how to cast your ballot in Washington, D.C.
Here’s a breakdown of important dates to know, Election Day information, and what to know about voting in the District in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024.
2024 DC voter registration info
Online or by mail: The deadline passed on Tuesday, Oct. 15 for D.C.’s Board of Elections to receive your voter registration application online or by mail — but you can still register during early voting or on Election Day.
To register when you vote, you must provide proof of residence that shows your name and current District of Columbia address. Acceptable forms of proof of residence include:
- A copy of a current, valid government-issued photo ID
- A utility bill for water, gas, electricity, cable, internet, telephone or cellphone service (issued no earlier than 90 days before the election)
- A savings, checking, credit or money market account statement from a bank or credit union (issued no earlier than 90 days before the election)
- A paycheck, stub or earning statement that includes the employer’s name, address and phone number (issued no earlier than 90 days before the election)
- A government-issued document or check from a federal or District agency, other than the Board of Elections (issued no earlier than 90 days before the election)
- A current residential lease or rental agreement
- An occupancy statement from a District homeless shelter (issued no earlier than 90 days before the election)
- A tuition or housing bill from a District of Columbia college or university issued for the current academic or housing term
In person in advance: You also have the option to register in-person at the D.C. Board of Elections office or at a voter registration agency. If you submit your application in person at any of those locations, your application should be received no later than the day before the start of the early voting period on Monday, Oct. 28.
Same-day registration: You may also register in person with proof of residency at Early Vote Centers or at your polling place on Election Day. See the above list for acceptable forms of proof of residency.
How to check if you’re already registered: If you think you’re already registered but want to make sure, you can check on the DC Board of Elections website. You can also update an existing registration on the DC Board of Elections website.
How to get a mail-in ballot in DC
The D.C. Board of Elections automatically sends mail-in ballots to all registered D.C. voters. The board began sending these out on Sept. 30, election officials said.
How to submit a mail-in ballot in DC
Here are your options for submitting your completed mail-in ballot:
- Bring it to any Vote Center during early voting or on Election Day. Early Vote Centers will be open from Monday, Oct. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 3, between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., and Election Day Vote Centers will be open on Tuesday, Nov. 5 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. You may deposit your ballot return envelope at any Vote Center during those days and times, without waiting in the in-person voting lines.
- Return it by mail. Your filled-out ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 5) and received by the Board of Elections office no later than the 10th day after Election Day.
- Bring it to a ballot drop box — you can find drop box locations on the DC Board of Elections website.
The District has 55 ballot drop boxes, which opened Friday, Oct. 11. The boxes will be open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5. Election officials will securely collect ballots daily.
You can look up locations of ballot drop boxes on the DC Board of Elections website.
How to vote via absentee ballot in DC
Requesting an absentee ballot: Registered D.C. voters automatically receive an absentee ballot in the mail. The deadline to request a general absentee ballot somewhere other than your usual address was Monday, Oct. 21, but uniformed and overseas citizens have until Nov. 2 under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).
Submitting an absentee ballot: The deadline is Nov. 15 for the D.C. Board of Elections to receive completed absentee ballots, postmarked on or before Election Day, from voters.
How to vote early in-person in DC
You can vote early in person from Monday, Oct. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 3, between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. at an early voting center. Addresses and details for D.C.’s early voting centers are on the DC Board of Elections website, including information on parking and the closest Metro stations to each.
Election Day 2024
The 2024 general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polls that day will be open in D.C. from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. As long as you’re in line by 8 p.m., you will be able to vote.
Voters in D.C. may cast their ballots at any vote center, regardless of their residential address. Addresses and details for all of D.C.’s Election Day vote centers are on the DC Board of Elections website.
Same-day voter registration is available in D.C., and you can find more information on same-day registration on the DC Board of Elections website.
DC voter ID rules
If your pollbook is marked as “ID REQUIRED,” that indicates you must show identification to vote because the DMV-issued number or the last four digits of the Social Security Number you provided on your registration application could not be verified.
The check-in clerk at your polling place will be able to determine if an ID is required for you to cast your vote. If ID is required but you do not have an acceptable form of ID with you, you may be asked to cast a special ballot and show proof of your ID to the Board of Elections within two days.
Acceptable forms of ID include:
- A copy of a current and valid government-issued photo identification
- A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck (dated no earlier than 90 days before the date that you mail your application — or, if you do not submit proof by mail or online, 90 days before the date you vote)
- Any other government-issued document
Who’s on the ballot in my area of DC?
In addition to the presidential race, D.C. voters will select candidates for D.C. Council members and nonvoting and shadow members of Congress. If you’re not sure what ward of D.C. you live in, you can check on the city’s Office of Planning website.
Look up candidate lists for your jurisdiction on this document provided by the District of Columbia Board of Elections.
Washington, D.C
Weekend weather in the DC Area: A little bit of everything
WASHINGTON (7News) — If you’ve got plans around D.C., Maryland, or Northern Virginia this weekend, you’ll want to stay flexible.
The forecast brings a mix of warm temperatures, sunshine, and a few rounds of showers and storms—especially Saturday and late Sunday.
Here’s a simple, hour-by-hour style breakdown so you can plan ahead.
Saturday: Warm Front, Clouds, and Spotty Storms
Morning (6 AM – 12 PM)
Mostly cloudy to start
A few early showers possible, especially toward the MD/PA border
Temperatures climbing through the 60s into the low 70s
What’s happening: A warm front is lifting north, bringing in milder air.
Afternoon (12 PM – 5 PM)
Highs reach the mid-70s
Clouds may break at times
Scattered showers and thunderstorms develop
Storm window: 2 PM – 7 PM
About a 50% chance of rain
Severe risk is low, but not zero
Possible:
Brief heavy downpours
Gusty winds
Maybe even small hail in isolated spots
Good news: Not everyone sees rain—but keep an eye on the sky.
Evening & Night (After 7 PM)
Storm chances linger early, then fade
Skies turn partly cloudy overnight
Lows drop to the mid-50s
Winds become light
Most of the night should be quiet and comfortable.
Sunday: The Pick of the Weekend
Morning
Dry and pleasant
A mix of sun and clouds early
Afternoon
Sunny and warmer
Highs in the low 80s
Light southwest breeze
This is your best outdoor day—great for parks, brunch, or yard work.
Sunday Night (After Midnight)
Clouds increase
Showers likely after midnight (70% chance)
Lows in the mid-50s
Winds shift from the north
Rain becomes more steady and widespread overnight
Looking Ahead (Late Sunday into Monday)
A cold front approaches from the northwest
Best chance for rain: Sunday night → Monday morning
Rainfall totals:
Generally 0.10″ to 0.25″
Locally higher in spots
Storms are possible, but:
Limited instability
Severe weather risk remains low
Weekend Planning Tips
Saturday:
Keep plans flexible—have a backup indoor option in the afternoon
Sunday:
Get outside early—it’s the best weather window
Sunday night:
Expect rain if you’re out late or traveling
The Big Picture
This weekend is part of a warming trend, with temperatures climbing from the 70s into the 80s. But with that warmth comes multiple chances for showers and storms, especially as weather fronts move through the region.
This weekend compared too next
Washington, D.C
Mom finds out daughter with autism was sexually abused at DC school week after it happened
CONTENT WARNING: This story contains content that may be uncomfortable to some readers. Discretion is advised.
WASHINGTON (7News) — A mother said she learned her 13-year-old daughter was sexually abused in a D.C. school when a detective contacted her a week after it happened. She said the school never notified her.
7News sat down with the mother on Friday, while her daughter was being evaluated and interviewed by detectives. We’re not sharing the mom’s identity to protect her daughter.
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The mom said she got a call Sunday night, “regarding my daughter and a sexual assault that happened at school involving my daughter last Monday.”
However, it didn’t come from the place or people she said she counted on.
“I never got a phone call from the school, an email, a text, nothing to say,” said the mom. Nothing happened until a week later.
That’s when a detective called and told her what happened.
“She was forced to give oral sex to a student in school,” said the mom.
Her 13-year-old daughter is disabled, autistic, and has challenges communicating.
The mom said she was sending her daughter to school without knowing what happened.
“I noticed a little behavior, emotional changes,” said the mom. “When I got that call now, it makes sense to, you know, what you because of what she had experienced at school and to come home and she didn’t say anything or no one had called me and just like it breaks my heart.”
7News obtained a copy of the police report, which confirms the youth investigative branch is investigating what happened to her daughter as sexual abuse. It shows that a Kelly Miller Middle School social worker reported it to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) last week.
“I just hope that I can be able to get her back on the right track. From all the trauma, on top of trauma,” said the mom. “To be able to grow and not have to hold that in the back of her head that she experienced in school, which should have been her safe place.”
7News started reaching out to DCPS just after 12:30 p.m. to ask if the students suspected of the abuse have been removed from the school, and why parents wouldn’t have been notified about the incident. They did not get back to us until after our first report aired. They did not answer either question. They provided the following statement.
A district spokesperson provided this statement:
At DC Public Schools (DCPS), student safety and wellbeing are paramount, and the district treats any allegation of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness. DCPS will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this matter is investigated.
In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and our obligation to maintain student confidentiality, we are unable to provide comment on individual student cases.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault or abuse, the National Sexual Assault Hotline can be accessed by calling 1-800-656-4673.
Washington, D.C
Canvas cyberattack leaves many DC-area school systems without service
WASHINGTON – A cyberattack on the Canvas learning management system left thousands of schools and universities offline Thursday, disrupting access to grades, assignments, course materials and lecture videos as students prepared for finals.
The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, according to the Associated Press. Instructure, the company behind Canvas, did not immediately respond to questions about whether the system was taken down as a precaution or knocked offline, the AP reported.
READ MORE: Canvas outage impacts thousands of schools, universities: Hacker group reportedly takes credit
The hacking group posted online that nearly 9,000 schools worldwide were affected, with billions of private messages and other records accessed. Many school systems and universities in the Washington, D.C. region rely on Canvas as their primary learning management system.
In Montgomery County, school officials said access to the platform will remain unavailable “out of an abundance of caution” while they work to understand the impact of the incident and any potential vulnerabilities. Families were urged not to log in until MCPS and the myMCPS Classroom vendor resolve the issue.
The University of Maryland said it does not yet know when Canvas will return to service.
Canvas Cyberattack DC-Area School Systems Affected
Montgomery County Public Schools
Canvas (myMCPS Classroom) owned by Instructure Inc., is used by the school district as its learning management system. Due to a reported global cybersecurity concern involving Canvas, and impacting numerous school systems, universities, corporations in Maryland, other states, and worldwide, thus access to myMCPS Classroom has been disabled.
Out of an abundance of caution, access to the system will remain unavailable while we work to better understand the full impact of the incident and any potential vulnerabilities involving information connected to the platform. Please do not attempt to log in to the platform until MCPS and the myMCPS Classroom (Canvas) vendor have resolved this problem.
At this time, appropriate MCPS technology and security staff are continuing to assess the situation and coordinate with the vendor. We understand this disruption is frustrating and appreciate your patience as this work continues.
myMCPS Classroom provides access to student information such as grades, assignments, attendance, and course materials, and is an important tool for students and families to monitor academic progress. Additional information on how students can access resources and functions in myMCPS Classroom will be provided as soon as possible.
Updates will be shared as soon as additional information becomes available.
University of Maryland
Canvas may appear to be up right now, but please to not use it. DIT Security is not confident the system is safe to use right now. Please check back here before using Canvas.
For our faculty who use Canvas, we have created this guidance, and we will continue adding resources tomorrow. Please stay in touch with your students as we adapt to this evolving situation.
Prince George’s County Schools
There has been a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, our Learning Management System.
Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, notified us of a global cybersecurity incident affecting 275 million users across numerous educational institutions. We have been informed that PGCPS was one of the many impacted organizations. While personal information including names, emails and Student IDs was impacted, NO sensitive information, such as dates of birth, passwords, financial information, was involved. PGCPS does not store that type of sensitive information or parent information in Canvas.
We are using this as an opportunity to reinforce the importance of exercising caution when communicating by email and remaining vigilant regarding suspicious messages, spam, phishing attempts, or other potentially fraudulent communications.
We will continue to monitor the situation and remain in close communication with Instructure.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Due to the ongoing issues with the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), AACPS will operate schools on Friday, May 8, 2026, without the use of the LMS. The Virtual Academy will also remain open with altered instructional delivery that will also not use the LMS. Further instructions will be communicated from the school principal. The latest information regarding the breach and the status of school district operations can be found at www.aacps.org/canvasbreach.
Prince William County Public Schools
We are aware of the error appearing when accessing Canvas and are actively working with the vendor to resolve it. The issue is not just impacting PWCS, and is widespread and national in scope. We will provide updates when the vendor has resolved the issue.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Associated Press and previous FOX 5 reporting.
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