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Washington DC's Primaries

Partisan Primary Types​

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Presidential PrimariesState PrimariesPresidential PrimariesState Primaries
closed closed closed closed

Presidential and State Primaries Scheduling​

Consolidated Primaries: Yes

On a Presidential Election year, presidential primaries and State primaries are scheduled to run on the same date

DC has a closed primary process, where voters need to be registered with a party in order to vote in that parties primary.

Voting In Primaries​

  • Primaries are held only for partisan offices (such as Delegate to the House, Mayor, Councilmember, and Senator and Representative). Only the Democratic, Republican, and D.C. Statehood Green parties are qualified to hold primaries in the District of Columbia. Because primaries are party elections, only voters registered with one of these parties may vote in their party's election.

Delegates and Presidential Primaries​

The presidential primary process involves selecting delegates who will represent the state at the party's national convention. Delegates selected from the primary elections attend the party's national convention, where they officially nominate the presidential candidate. The candidate with the majority of delegates becomes the party's nominee for the presidential election.

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.
48 17 31 2 19 19 16

Democratic Party Primary Delegates Process​

Democratic Party Delegates Allocation​

The Democratic Party in DC uses a proportional representation system based on the results of the Presidential Preference Election (Primary) for apportioning delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

In 2024, DC's Democratic party will send a total of 48 Delegate Votes and 2 Alternate Delegates to the DNC national convention. Of the 48 delegate votes, 17 Pledged Delegate Votes (11 District-level delegates, 4 At-Large, and 2 PLEOs) and 31 Automatic Delegate Votes.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 11
  • At-large Delegates: 4
  • Pledged PLEOs Delegates: 2
  • Automatic Delegates - Unpledged PLEOs: 31
  • Alternate Delegates: 2

Automatic Delegates (Unpledged PLEOs - Super Delegates) Breakdown​

  • DNC Members: 27
  • Dem. Members of Congress: 3
  • Dem. Gorvernors: 1
  • Distinguished Party Leaders: 0

Republican Party Primary Delegates Process​

Republican Party Delegates Allocation​

The Republican Party in DC uses a Winner-Take-Most system based on the results of the Presidential Preference Election (Primary) for apportioning delegates to the Republican National Convention.

National Convention Delegates run on the Citywide ballot. If a Presidential candidate who is allocated delegates withdraws prior to the National Convention, the delegates bound to that Candidate become unbound. DC's Republican party will send a total of 19 Delegate Votes and 16 Alternate Delegates to the 2024 RNC national convention. 19 Pledged Delegate Votes (0 District-level delegates, 16 At-Large, and 3 RNC delegates).

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 0
  • At-large Delegates: 16
  • RNC Delegates: 3
  • Alternate Delegates: 16

NOTES​

This page contains primary election rules and Presidential Primary delegates allocation information on elections occurring across the country

Primary voting rules and delegate allocation apply to statewide partisan primary elections in most cases. However, check with your Town Clerk for primary voting guide as they may vary by town and political party.Please be advised that the information provided on this site is updated regularly but is subject to scheduling changes at the local level.

The information provided on the page was validated using the following resourses: