After not having a formal D.C. Council member since early February, Ward 8 voters are encouraged to exercise their civic duties by voting for their next representative on the District’s legislative body from now until July 15.
Candidates include: Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Salim Adofo, Mike Austin, Sheila Bunn and Trayon White, the former Ward 8 council member, who was expelled on Feb. 4.
Democrats Mary Roach and Oliver Roy and Republican Delonte Ford Singh are also running as write-in candidates, according to Ballotpedia.
Although Ward 8 voters are the ones being asked to decide on their next council member, the Ward 8 Special Election is critical to all Washingtonians for many reasons.
”We need to make sure that we make wise decisions because our council members make many decisions that affect our lives. And we need to make sure we pick the people who best represent our interests,” Kathryn Collison Ray, past president and Vote411 coordinator for League of Women Voters DC, told The Washington Informer.
With more than 73,000 residents, according to DC Health Matters, Ward 8 is a burgeoning hub for businesses, sports, arts housing and health care, featuring CareFirst Arena, The Retail Village at Sycamore & Oak and the opening of Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, among other features and attractions.
While the next council member will be particularly important to voice and advocate for the needs of Ward 8 residents, this person will also be critical to larger council meetings, discussions and votes that can affect all District residents.
Moreover, in a locale that is more than 87% Black, with many residents facing challenges such as housing, economic, health care, educational and food disparities, the next Ward 8 council member will be charged with working with his or her colleagues to uplift constituents for the betterment of the ward and District overall.
This person will be tasked with fighting to strengthen the ward through legislative efforts, community engagement and working toward equity.
Further, the Ward 8 Special Election is also important to The Washington Informer.
In elections across the D.C. area, nation and world, The Informer works to emphasize the power of the vote.
From countless brave activists fighting for voting rights, to those working against voter suppression or mobilizing people to the polls to this day, and sharing input from residents, The Informer has always highlighted the organizations and individuals empowering voters.
In addition, The Washington Informer regularly covers the council, from meetings, announcements, legislation and community work, with the Collins Council Report— written by award-winning writer Sam P.K. Collins— celebrated as a leader in local reporting on D.C.’s legislative body.
Still, the Ward 8 Special Election holds particular priority for The Informer, historically and today.
The late Councilmember Wilhelmina Rolark, who represented Ward 8 for four terms from 1977-1993, was also the wife of Washington Informer founder Dr. Calvin Rolark and served as the publication’s president.
In addition, The Washington Informer, located at 3117 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, has been headquartered in Ward 8 since 1980. While The Washington Informer covers happenings across the DMV, nation and world, Ward 8 is our home. For 45 years, the Ward 8 business owners, students, teachers and residents have been our supporters and neighbors.
As we cover news throughout the Washington metropolitan area, we get a close-up at what is happening in Ward 8 and are personally affected by the work and decisions of the next council member.
Through partnerships with organizations such as the District of Columbia Board of Elections, AARP, and League of Women Voters DC, The Washington Informer is proud to present this Ward 8 Special Election guide, featuring candidate surveys, articles, and information and resources.
We encourage Washingtonians to learn about the voting process and candidates through diving into this supplement, sharing this guide with others— particularly Ward 8 voters— and keeping it as a resource for the polls beyond this special election.
As the District and nation navigate political and social shifts and tension, remember the power is at the polls. Voting is a way for people’s voices, needs and hopes for the future to be heard and considered.
In 1965, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized the power of voting and his words ring true 60 years later: “Voting is the foundation stone of political action.”
