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Council hearing hears sharp objections to plan letting ANC commissioners fill contested vacancies
Summary
Witnesses told the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor that B26‑465 would shift contested single‑member district vacancy decisions away from voters and toward commissioners; many urged funding BOE‑run special elections, temporary appointments and a task force to fix statutory conflicts.
Councilmember Anita Bonds, chair of the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, opened a Dec. 5 hearing on B26‑465, the Board of Elections Certification of ANC Vacancies Amendment Act of 2025, noting ‘‘There are 16 vacancies across the city.’’ The bill would change how contested vacancies on Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) are filled; proponents say it addresses a broken process, opponents say it risks disenfranchising voters.
Several sitting and former ANC officials told the committee the proposal shifts power away from residents. ‘‘If passed, B26‑465 would fundamentally eliminate the right of voters to make a choice when there are multiple candidates in a particular race,’’ said Anthony Thomas Davis, commissioner for single‑member district 1A06, who testified in ‘‘strong opposition’’ to the bill. Gottlieb Simon, chair of ANC 6D and a former executive director of the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (OANC), called the proposal ‘‘a step backwards’’ and warned that lowering quorum requirements would allow a very small number of commissioners to seat replacements.
Testimony and questioning centered on practical fixes the committee could pursue instead of internal commissions seating winners. Multiple witnesses recommended authorizing and funding the District’s Board of Elections to administer special ANC elections with ADA‑accessible polling locations, expanded same‑day registration and provisional ballots so residents can vote. Zach Israel, a former ANC commissioner, urged the council to ‘‘provide funding to the DC Board of Elections to then actually administer a special election’’ rather than give commissions permanent appointment authority. OANC Executive Director Kent Bose told the committee statutory changes and pandemic‑era virtual meeting rules have left a gap in authority and recommended forming a task force to reconcile the law and operational practice.
The committee did not take a vote. Chair Bonds said she would convene further conversations and aim to create a task force to develop a roadmap on vacancies and to solicit a formal written response from the Board of Elections for the record; the hearing record remains open through Dec. 19, 2025.
