Council Chair Position Will Appear on General Election Ballot

The general election for local candidates just became more interesting. The Board of Elections will hold the special election for the Council Chair seat, , to coincide with the general election, Nov. 6.

Because of DC's primary system and the heavily Democratic nature of the voting population in the District, the "winners" of most races are essentially determined during the primary.

But now that the Council Chairman position has opened up on the District Council, there could be a heated contest come November.

The Washington Post reports that the Board's attorneys ruled that though the two elections are taking place on the same day and will share a ballot, they are two separate races.

The decision means, "a candidate can run in both elections simultaneously. That’s an unprecedented circumstance in the District, where otherwise candidates may appear only once on a ballot," the Post reports.

So Vincent Orange, who is on the ballot for an at-large seat, could also run for the Chairman position, which he has expressed an interest in.

Councilman Phil Mendelson will likely be selected as the interim chair until the special election and has similarly expressed interest in the position.

To appear on the ballot a candidate must secure the signatures of 3,000 registered voters in the District of Columbia.

The petition period to appear on the ballot begins Friday, June 15 and ends on Wednesday, August 8.

Whoever wins the seat will complete Brown's term, which ends in January 2015.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Councilman Phil Mendelson's name. We regret the error.