Washingtonians cast their ballots at Prince Hall Masonic Temple on Tuesday for November’s general election, choosing a new mayor, delegate, City Council representatives, attorney general, and shadow representative and senator.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has been elected three times and held the position for nearly 12 years, decided to not run again, marking a new era for D.C. leadership. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton concluded her 35-year tenure representing Washington as a nonvoting member in Congress.
Several issues on D.C. voters’ minds include affordability, the high cost of living, lack of quality education and D.C. statehood. Ward 1 voters also hope for uplifting and making sure the U Street Cardozo neighborhood is not just for nightlife but also for people of all ages. And a new mayor who will not bow to the Trump administration.
Hannah Smith, originally from Portland, Maine, voted for the first time on Election Day.
“I always either dropped off my ballot in the drop boxes or [did] early voting,” Smith said. “But I just felt like it was going to be cool to experience it on the day, keep the excitement throughout the day and then go into the evening.”
The 29-year-old who resides in the U Street Cardozo neighborhood believes in the importance of voting.
“I’m excited for a different mayor,” she said. “I think that she will be a great stopgap between here and the Trump administration, which I haven’t felt like we’ve had in a little while. And so excited about the future as much as I can be.”
Living on U Street, Smith hopes to see new businesses other than clubs and lounges, as nightlife is present in the neighborhood.
Lewis Lowe emphasized the importance of voting. He said he has always voted and brought his kids accompanied by his wife to the voting site.
“I was brought up that way, trying to get the kids to recognize the importance of voting,” said Lowe, who previously worked in Democratic politics. “Frankly, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain. Apathy is sort of never going to get anything done.”
Lowe hopes Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George, will be the next mayor and the administration will “focus on some of the small stuff, these basic city services, and it runs better.”
Aaron and Rachna Pulitz brought their family along. The married couple live in the U Street neighborhood and hope representatives improve their neighborhood for the better.
“There’s a lot at stake because this neighborhood has always seemed like a nightlife area, but it’s actually a neighborhood filled with families, with college students, new professionals, and a lot of history,” Rachna Pulitz said. “And we want to make sure that our candidates this year uplift our neighborhood, make it a safer and more welcoming neighborhood for all of us.”
A lifelong Democrat, she wasn’t always involved in local politics until she noticed federal issues coming to D.C.
“When you see National Guardsmen walking around with guns standing in front of the schools, I know they’re just doing their job, but it sends a message that we’re not actually part of this country in the same way, and we want to change that,” said Pulitz, who hopes the city becomes a state in five years.
Aaron Pulitz who didn’t vote in the midterms when he was younger, said voting in person is something he enjoys.
“I was an Air Force pilot, and often I was deployed,” he said. “I would vote absentee back when absentee was mostly for people in the military or people living overseas. And I just like being here and being part of the community and going through the act of actually like reading the ballot, marking it,” said the 51-year-old who was conservative in his youth but has turned to the Democratic Party.
Rachna Pulitz hopes to see changes from the winners.
“Safety in our communities and access to quality education for everyone and not just if you live in certain neighborhoods and you have access to good schools,” she said. “I think another issue for us right now is the high cost of living.”.
She believes that affordability can be solved at the local level.
“Instead of building giant stadiums … I want to make sure that the small projects in our community get funded as well,” she said. “We want to see new buildings, new event space, new places, new housing to come to our own neighborhood. And that’s when I’m hoping that this election will change.”
