DC voters head to the polls to elect the next Ward 8 council member

Voters in D C s Ward are headed to the polls in a special electoral process to decide who they want to see represent them on the D C Council Among the candidates is the man who was kicked out of the role former Council member Trayon White Related stories What to know about DC s Ward council seat balloting We got to come out to vote as a people Early voting continues in special ballot in Ward DC Council seat Hear from the candidates on the special balloting ballot for the Ward DC Council seat AP Decision Notes What to expect in the Washington DC city council special polling White was expelled after the council independently investigated the situation surrounding his arrest by the FBI last year on bribery charges White maintains his innocence Speaking to WTOP on Thursday White commented there never should have been a special referendum because residents voted him back into office in November despite his arrest It happened and so we re trying to put the power back in the hands of the people with this voting process White announced White is going up against three other candidates for the seat including Salim Adofo Mike Austin and Sheila Bunn Both Adofo and Austin have experience as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners and Bunn s political experience includes working for both D C Del Eleanor Holmes Norton and former Mayor Vincent Gray Austin and Bunn both speaking to WTOP last week were critical of White and his decision to run again for the seat Austin called the need for a special electoral process an embarrassment to Ward and Bunn called White s participation in the race a distraction If White is reelected attention will turn to whether his council colleagues will move to expel him for a second time Council Chair Phil Mendelson briefly introduced a rule change aimed at making it easier for the council to do that by using evidence gathered during a first expulsion White described WTOP he has a gang of lawyers ready to fight them if that were to happen The expulsion has left Ward without a designated council member since February leaving that seat vacant during crucial budget debates and potentially for preponderance of the debate over the Washington Commanders stadium deal as the board of elections says the certification process could last until August if the ballots are challenged More information on the candidates and how to cast a ballot in the special referendum is available here Source