So you (might) want to run for ANC? Our training is here to help.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANCs) are DC’s lowest-level elected officials – and, yet, commissioners can meaningfully influence hyper-local decisions about transportation, housing, public space, public safety, and much more.

What are ANCs? What does it take to run for a seat? And should you run this year?

On Thursday, July 21, 2022, GGWash held an in-depth training covering all of these questions and more. Commissioners Jonah Goodman (4C10), Amber Gove (6A04), and Sauleh Siddiqui (3C05) joined me (outside of my role at GGWash, I’m the outgoing commissioner for single member district 1D05) for two packed hours of discussion and Q&A. You can view the recording here, and below.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are non-partisan, unpaid elected officials who each represent approximately 2,000 DC residents and serve together on commissions that range in size from two to 12 commissioners. The role is wide-ranging. As the Office of ANCs explains:

“The ANCs’ main job is to be their neighborhood’s official voice in advising the District government (and Federal agencies) on things that affect their neighborhoods. Although they are not required to follow the ANCs’ advice, District agencies are required to give the ANCs’ recommendations “great weight.” Moreover, District law says that agencies cannot take any action that will significantly affect a neighborhood unless they give the affected ANCs 30 days advance notice. This includes zoning, streets, recreation, education, social services, sanitation, planning, safety, budget, and health services.

The ANCs may also initiate recommendations for improving city services, conduct neighborhood improvement programs, and monitor resident complaints.”

In 2022, 345 ANC seats will be up for election. Thanks to redistricting based on the 2020 Census, that’s a big increase from 296 seats in the last decade. You can see the updated maps of ANC single member districts and commission areas at DC’s ANC Finder and the OpenANC website. These new districts go into effect on January 1, 2023, in line with when the newly elected commissioners take office.

July 20 was the first day that candidates could pick up their ballot access documents from the DC Board of Elections, marking the official start of ANC campaign season. In order to have their name on the ballot in November, every candidate must collect at least 25 signatures of registered voters who live in their single member district and submit those signatures by 5 pm on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.

If you’re interested in running for a seat, pick up your paperwork, watch our training, and – if you have additional questions afterward – feel free to reach out to Alex Baca, our DC policy director, at abaca [at] ggwash.org. (GGWash will be making endorsements in ANC races, but that process is separate from this training and will kick off in August.)

Serving two terms on an ANC has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. I learned so much about the place I call home, built relationships with neighbors and fellow commissioners, and have had the chance to push for improvements on issues that matter. If you care about your community and are considering taking the plunge into an ANC race, I encourage you to go for it. You just might be the leader your neighborhood has been waiting for.