After months of worrying about a potential “lockout,” both parties will have a candidate in California’s general election for governor. But avoiding a lockout this time doesn’t address the issue for the future. What would? Ranked choice voting. Rachel Hutchinson explains.

On June 16, Washington, DC used ranked choice voting for the first time. @lisadtrice.bsky.social proposed the ballot initiative that brought RCV to DC. Lisa joined @latinovictoryus.bsky.social's @kpichardony.bsky.social to share what RCV can deliver for DC & beyond – including for Latino voters ⬇️

In a new SurveyUSA poll, 78% of Washington, DC voters say ranked choice voting is simple, and 74% say they like the ability to rank candidates. @dcnewsnow.bsky.social spoke w/ FairVote’s Deb Otis about what the poll results mean for RCV in the District.

National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the DC area Wednesday and an extreme heat watch for Thursday-Friday. More details on the alerts and our full forecast for the heat wave and July 4th at CapitalWeather.com and the Capital Weather app.

An investigation into the unlicensed food trucks operating around the National Mall uncovered alleged organized networks, safety concerns, and eye-popping prices. Here's what we found. washingtonian.com/2026/06/29/d...

The reviews are in for DC's first ranked choice voting elections📊 78% of voters say RCV is simple, and 74% like ranking candidates! "RCV gives voters more voice & more power, and I am excited to see voters taking advantage of it." – @lisadtrice.bsky.social of @growdemocracydc.bsky.social

We have just learned that @govwhitmer.bsky.social and @GovTimWalz have bowed to Trump and sent hundreds of National Guard troops to occupy DC streets. Let me be clear in case these Dem Governors are not getting the message: DC DOES NOT WANT YOU TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS HERE.

DC General Election Update: For the At-Large seats, the RCV process will shift a bit from the format we saw in the primary. Listen to me break down the changes below so you can stay informed on the changes before you cast your ballot! #DCVotes #DCGeneralElection www.instagram.com/reel/DaDa7Y4...

What did Washington, DC voters say about their experience with ranked choice voting? Watch our collab with @rankthedistrict.bsky.social! ➡️"It’s going to make candidates work harder" ➡️"It feels less black and white" ➡️"It was a pleasure"

$750,000 is officially locked in for the planning and installation of a protected bike lane on the entirety of 11th Street SE.

Inspired by a series of listening sessions in 2016, community organizers started Beloved Community Incubator, a worked-led nonprofit that equips D.C. residents with the tools and resources to own their labor and what it produces. Rebecca Asha John on the org's work to help D.C. grow and prosper:

Local novelist Benny B. Peterson came out twice while writing their D.C.-based debut The Maidenheads. “Queer community has felt complex because I’m entering at a later date,” Peterson says. “Queer readers and journalists ... being interested in this story has been so affirming.”

Bystander “Shot by Taser by US Marshals” in Columbia Heights - Read the full reader report: www.popville.com/2026/06/shot...

So you (might) want to be an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in DC? Join us, and current commissioners from across the District, for a free training Monday night to learn more about the role, how to run, and what to expect when you win. All are welcome! ggwash.org/calendar/eve...

Triple digit heat next week in DC? Could happen. Hottest days look to be July 1-3 (Wed to Friday). May not be quite as hot on July 4. Still TBD. Read more: www.capitalweather.com/temperatures...

This month, Washington, DC used ranked choice voting for the first time, and Maine used it in key primaries. In both places, RCV delivered majority winners & gave voters more voice. And in DC, 78% of voters say RCV is simple. Takeaways on that and more ⬇️

When Minneapolis was under siege, the world was on your side @governorwalz.mn.gov. It's abominable for you to turn around and do the opposite.

A new @surveyusa.bsky.social poll finds supermajorities of Washington, DC voters say ranked choice voting is simple & they support it. Key findings 📊 ✅78% of voters say their RCV ballot is simple to complete 🔢74% support ranking candidates

"After losing nearly 200 games over the past three seasons, the Washington Wizards ushered in a new era by drafting BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Tuesday night."

The DMV is currently under a drought watch, and the Potomac River saw its lowest levels in 130 years earlier this spring. Locals should do the following, per COG:

You might be able to blame cars, or more specifically underground parking garages, for creating year-round mosquito sanctuaries.

NEWS: Proponents of a ballot initiative that would ban the sale of foie gras in D.C. tell me they've collected the required number of signatures to get the initiative on the November ballot. Background in @notus.com: www.notus.org/metro/foie-g...

NEW: We defeated a lawsuit seeking to block new housing on upper Connecticut Avenue NW. The lawsuit challenged zoning changes that will allow multifamily housing in the DC neighborhood with the fewest affordable units. We’re fighting for more homes to drive down housing costs for everyone in DC.

DC Council funds semi-open primaries, one week after election day

This is an amazing victory for democracy in the District of Columbia and has been years in the making! Congratulations to @rankthedistrict.bsky.social, @lisadtrice.bsky.social, and Brian Strege for your tireless work on this over the past several years! June 2028 here we come!

And this has officially passed! Primaries will be open to independent voters starting in 2028. Mendo and Felder vote no, Crawford and and Trayon White vote present.

NEWS: The D.C. Council just voted to fund and implement the semi-open primaries portion of Initiative 83, which also brought ranked-choice voting to D.C. That means that in 2028 independent voters will be able to choose whether to vote in a partisan primary election.

A big update: I hear Robert White has been telling people he plans to vote YES on the open primary funding. If all else holds, that'd get supporters to the seven votes they need, so this could very well pass today.

Update: @chenderson.bsky.social has formally circulated an amendment that would put $1.1 million towards funding the semi-open primaries provision of Initiative 83 over the next four years. "I feel good" about the votes being there to pass it as part of the budget, she tells me.

It is rare for elected officials to acknowledge when they previously landed in the wrong spot, but that’s what I’m doing. While I originally had reservations about semi-open primaries, I now plan to support today’s amendment, joining the push to make DC more democratic. See my full statement 👇🏾

Rini Sampath absolutely killing it on Twitter right now ahead of the final budget vote. For those like me who deleted Twitter:

Advocates for semi-open primaries are at the Wilson Building today hoping to push the D.C. Council to fund their half of Initiative 83, which brought ranked-choice voting to D.C. while the semi-open primaries provision stalled because of lack of funding.

🏳️‍🌈 It's Pride month — learn about local queer history, and the D.C. archive keeping those stories accessible, in this story by @samdelgado.bsky.social from January:

"It’s the second time since the policy [was] changed [by the Trump administration in August 2025] that a Park Police pursuit ended in a fatal crash."

Michigan's Democratic governor and rumored presidential hopeful Gretchen Whitmer has deployed National Guard soldiers to DC to assist with Trump's immoral and illegal occupation. Michigan friends and allies, we need your help 🧵

I updated my site to include RCV data with a sankey diagram that allows you to pan and zoom!

Kudos to the DCBOE for including nice visualizations for how RCV worked in the At-Large CM & Ward 1 CM Democratic primaries! Looks like Oye hit 50% in 8 rounds of RCV balloting, while it took 4 rounds for Aparna to clear 50%:

"Multiple witnesses told News4 that Park Police were chasing a driver on the bridge." bsky.app/profile/nbcw...