For information on candidates and campaigns in elections in 2010, see Election
2010. Democratic and Republican
Primaries,
January 13, 2004 District of Columbia Delegates to the Democratic and Republican party
presidential conventions were selected at party caucuses held in
February. However, the DC Democratic Party held a non-binding
presidential preference “primary” on January 13, 2004. Pursuant to Council
Bill 15-492, all “generally recognized” Democratic candidates for
president would be listed on that ballot without filing unless they
specifically informed the Board of Elections and Ethics that they did not wish
to be listed. On November 6, 2003, four
candidates filed notices of their withdrawals from that primary: John
Edwards, Dick Gebhardt, John Kerry, and Joe Lieberman; on November 7, 2001,
Wesley Clark also filed a notice of withdrawal. Caucus plans for the Republican and Democratic
parties. Initiatives, Referenda, Charter Amendments and Recall PetitionsCurrent Initiatives: Petition of recall of Mayor Vince
Gray, filed January 11, 2012, by Frederick Butler Petition of recall of Council
Chairman Kwame Brown, filed January 11, 2012, by Frederick Butler Past Initiatives:The Marriage Initiative of 2009
was filed on September 2, 2009. A Referendum Concerning
the Jury and Marriage Amendment Act of 2009 was filed on May 27, 2009,
and rejected by the Board on June 6, 2009. The Referendum on Certain
Provisions of the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007,
Referendum 007, was approved as a proper subject for a referendum on May
22, 2007. Mayor Adrian Fenty successfully appealed that approval to the DC Superior
Court. The Video Lottery Terminal
Initiative of 2006 has been found by the DC Court of Appeals not to be a proper subject for an
initiative. Petition for recall of Sharon
Ambrose, Ward Six Councilmember, proposed by Mary C. Williams; filed on
January 12, 2005; petitions issued by the Board of Elections and Ethics on
January 24, 2005. Initiative 68, The Video Lottery Terminal
Initiative of 2004, after a challenge before the Board of Elections an
Ethics, was ruled to have failed to gather enough valid signatures to be
certified for the ballot. Advisory Referendum A, passed by the City
Council on July 2, 2002, passed in the general election on November 5, 2002,
amended the Home Rule Charter to establish an
Office of the District Attorney for the District of Columbia. Petition for recall of Anthony A.
Williams, Mayor, proposed by Save Our City, filed on January 20, 2004;
petitions not submitted.. Petition for recall of Jim Graham,
Ward One Councilmember, proposed by Lenwood O. Johnson, 627 Columbia
Road, NW, filed on January 6, 2004, petition approved by the Board of Elections and Ethics on January 20, 2004;
petitions not submitted “Support for a Public Hospital in
the Nationâs Capital,” Initiative No. __, was filed with the Board
of Elections and Ethics on December 4, 2003. Initiative Measure No. 62, “Treatment
Instead of Jail for Certain Non-Violent Drug Offenders Initiative of
2002,” passed in the general election on November 5, 2002. A Petition for Recall of Anthony A. Williams,
Mayor, was filed by Cardell Shelton. It was accepted by the Board of
Elections and Ethics, and recall petitions were issued on January 2, 2002.
The proponents must gather approximately 33,658 signatures on recall
petitions by July 1, 2002, in order to place the matter on a ballot. A Petition for Recall of Anthony A. Williams, Mayor, was
filed by David Barrows, and was accepted by the Board of Elections and Ethics, and recall
petitions were issued, on March 7, 2001. The proponents failed to gather approximately 34,597
signatures on recall petitions by September 4, 2001, in order to place the matter on a
ballot. A Petition for Recall of Anthony A. Williams, Mayor, was
filed by Cardell Shelton. It was accepted by the Board and petitions were issued on
October 24, 2000. The proponents failed to gather 33,885 signatures on recall petitions by
April 13, 2001, in order to place the matter on a ballot. Charter Amendment III, “The School Governance Charter Amendment Act
of 2000,” was passed at a special election June 27, 2000, between the May and
September primary elections. The full language of the Amendment is contained in
City Council Bill 13-469.
The ballot language that was
approved by the Board of Elections and Ethics appears
here. The rules that govern charter amending procedures are stated in the DC Municipal
Regulations, Title 3, Chapter 18, “Charter Amending
Procedures.” A Petition for Recall of Anthony A. Williams,
Mayor, was filed by Elijah Gatewood. It was accepted by the Board and petitions were
issued on February 28, 2000. The proponents failed to gather sufficient signatures to
place the recall initiative on the ballot. The “Legalization of Marijuana for Medical
Treatment Initiative of 1998,” Initiative Measure No. 59, was a refiling of the
same initiative that failed to gather a sufficient number of signatures in 1997; on August
5, 1998, the Board of Elections decided that Initiative Measure No. 59 also failed to
gather a sufficient number of signatures. A court appeal required the Board of Elections to
reconsider some of the signatures that had been disallowed, and as a result, the
initiative appeared on the November 3, 1998, ballot. The DC appropriations bill passed by Congress forbade the
District from
expending any funds to hold an election on this issue. Because the ballots had already
been printed, they were distributed, and the votes were taken and counted by computer.
However, the vote results have not been announced or certified as official. The
appropriations bill’s prohibition is being challenged in a court suit. The “District of Columbia Term Limits
Initiative,” Initiative Measure No. 49, was passed on November 8, 1994. It
limited the Mayor, City Council Members, and members of the Board of Education to serving
two consecutive terms in the same position. The “Medical Use of Marijuana Initiative of
1998” is now being circulated by its proponents. Its completed petitions must be
submitted by November 30, 1998. On May 6, 1998, the Board of Elections and Ethics considered “Washington DC Blight Control Initiative,” which would
mandate that all beverage containers sold in the district be returnable and that deposits
be charged on all beverage containers. An initiative that called for a recall election for
Mayor Marion Barry also failed to gather enough signatures to be placed on the ballot;
its proponents decided not to file the petitions. One petition, that would legalize casino gambling, has been
refiled numerous times, but is not
currently pending. The “Initiative to Restrict
Privatization, and Sale or Lease of DC Public Assets” and the “D.C. City Council Tensure, Salary, and Conflict of Interest
Initiative” were rejected by the Board of Elections and Ethics because of
technical flaws in their drafting. The Board of Elections has determined that two other
initiatives are not suitable subject matter for an initiative. The proponent is appealing
the Board’s decision. They are the "Restoration District of
Columbia’s Elected Officials Powers Mayor, Councilmembers Under the United States
Constitutional Rights" and the "Restoration of Power
to the District of Columbia Elected Officials Mayor, Councilmember Home Rule"
initiatives. | 
