Residents of the District of Columbia who identify as independent are allowed to vote in its 2028 partisan primaries after the D.C. Council voted to fund semi-open primary elections on Tuesday.
The legislative body passed an amendment to the fiscal 2027 budget that allocates $1.1 million over the next four years toward semi-open primaries. Independent Councilwoman Christina Henderson introduced the amendment.
The proposal for semi-open primaries was part of Initiative 83, which brought ranked choice voting to the district after the 2024 election. The ranked choice system was used for the first time in the district’s mayoral primary last week.
The vote to implement semi-open primaries in time for the 2028 elections passed despite opposition from Chairman Phil Mendelson and Councilman Wendell Felder. Most councilmembers approved the measure.
Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George, who won the Democratic nomination for district mayor, was one of the votes in favor. She previously voted present when the measure was up for a vote last year. At the time, it did not pass.
Councilman Zachary Parker changed his vote to “yes” this year after listening to feedback from his constituents.
“It is rare for elected officials to acknowledge when they previously landed in the wrong spot, but that’s what I’m doing,” Parker said in a statement before Tuesday’s vote. “While I originally had reservations about semi-open primaries, I now plan to support today’s amendment and join the push to make DC more democratic and representative.”
Roughly 85,000 district residents are registered independent voters, making up about 20% of the electorate. Independents can now vote in either Democratic or Republican primaries in 2028.
The D.C. Council held a legislative meeting on Tuesday to work toward finalizing the district’s budget for the next fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1.
A key part of the budget conversation this year is the council’s decision to tap $150 million from the district’s local reserves to avoid cuts to childcare subsidies and anti-poverty programs as the city navigates a projected $1.1 billion budget gap.
Glen Lee, the district’s chief financial officer, warned the lawmakers about taking money from the emergency fund, but Mendelson assured Lee that the fund balance will not be significantly depleted and will remain above $2 billion.
“I appreciate that building and protecting the reserve funds is your policy view, but, as you know, policy decisions are reserved under the Home Rule Act to the Council and Mayor,” Mendelson wrote in a letter on Tuesday. “The CFO does not now have the authority to make a policy decision that this time the Council may not use local reserves to support appropriations.”
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During the legislative meeting, Mendelson advanced a contingency list that says the district government will fund housing vouchers, rental assistance, full-time mentors to youth, and pay raises for public employees after returning $150 million to the emergency fund if the city collects more revenue than expected.
The final budget still needs approval. The council said a “second needed” budget vote will take place next on July 7.