State reference

Government in District of Columbia

District of Columbia’s council, courts, local governments and election offices, with a source for every fact.

Facts checked November 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify from a source is left out rather than guessed. Rules change, so confirm deadlines with the official election office.

Council members

Legislature

4 years

Mayor’s term

Governor

Seat in the US House

Clerk of the House

What may surprise you here

The District has a mayor and a 13-member council instead of a governor and a two-chamber legislature. source
DC judges are nominated by a commission, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, not chosen by DC voters or the mayor. source
DC elects its own attorney general, and the office is independent of the mayor. source

Council

Name: Council of the District of Columbia source
Council of the District of Columbia: seats: 13 source
Council of the District of Columbia: term in years: 4 source

Mayor and executive offices

Term in years: 4 source
Term limit: None source
Next regular election: 2030 source
Attorney general: elected source
Secretary of state: appointed by the mayor source

Courts

Highest court: Court of Appeals source
Intermediate appeals court: None source
Main trial court: Superior Court source
How high-court judges reach the bench: mixed: nominating commission, then presidential appointment with Senate confirmation source

Local government

Called: none source
How many: 0 source
Cities and towns: The District has one municipal government and no county or township governments, as of the 2022 Census of Governments. source
Schools: The District has two school systems, both run by the District government rather than by independent school districts (2022 Census of Governments). source

Elections

Chief election official: Executive Director (District of Columbia Board of Elections) source
Who runs elections locally: The DC Board of Elections runs elections directly; there is no separate county layer source
Primary type: closed source
Regular governor elections fall in: even source
Citizen initiatives: yes, laws only source

Who holds these offices

As of November 5, 2026. Terms of the current Congress run to January 3, 2027. Winners of the November 3, 2026 elections are not shown until results are certified and they take office.