First Ever ANC Commissioner Elected at the DC Jail.
Neighbors for Justice worked with others to facilitate the first ever election of an ANC7F07 commissioner at the DC jail. See the timeline below of this effort.
- Time line of events:
- June 29, 2021: Joel Castón is sworn in as commissioner of ANC7F07 in a beautiful ceremony filled with family, friends, and other supporters.
- June 19, 2021: See the Neighbors for Justice announcement on the winner of the election and what local leaders have to say about the winner.
- June 16/17, 2021: DCist article, “I may be incarcerated, but my voice still matters.” Resident at DC jail wins local election. Washington Post article, 26 years after being convicted of murder, a DC jail inmate is elected to public office.
- June 15, 2021: Joel Castón is announced as the winner of the ANC7F07 election. Congratulations to Joel and thank you to all of the candidates who ran.
- June 13, 2021: NBC 4 Washington news video on the coming ANC election at the DC jail.
- June 7, 2021: The video and survey of the five candidates for ANC7F07 are now available.
- June 7, 2021: A group of ANC commissioners are working on a sign-on letter to enable ANC meetings and ANC votes to continue to be allowed in a virtual or hybrid way once the pandemic ends. Virtual participation will be essential for an ANC7F07 commissioner. Individuals and organizations wishing to sign on can contact Alison Horn, ANC6B commissioner, at 6b09@anc.dc.gov by Wed, June 9.
- June 3, 2021: Check out this great DCist article: In this local election, every candidate is incarcerated at the DC jail.
- May 24, 2021: ANC4B passed a resolution calling for hybrid ANC meetings going forward to allow ongoing virtual participation of ANC commissioners and references how this is needed for ANC7F07.
- May 3, 2021: The ANC election process at the jail is underway! Prospective candidates are getting the required 25 signatures to become a candidate. The DC Department of Corrections is facilitating this process. Neighbors for Justice and other advocates are continuing to support the election process and ensure the success of the future commissioner. Stay tuned for more updates.
- Mar 2021: Our thanks to Council Members Charles Allen and Robert White, who introduced emergency legislation to restart ANC elections during the pandemic. This legislation directs the DC Department of Corrections to facilitate the election and the Board of Elections to provide the necessary information on the election.
- Feb 2021: See our one page overview about the election process to date.
- Jan 2021: Thank you to the ANCs around the city who are passing resolutions to call for an ANC election and placement. See ANC resolutions.
- Dec 18, 2020: See City Paper article: Advocates denounce election results in ANC7F07 after DC jail candidate is disqualified for a technical error
- Oct 30, 2020: See City Paper article: Advocates want a DC jail resident to run for an ANC seat that has never been filled
