Photo by Jacques Arsenault

The D.C. Council passed an emergency legislation today that gives the city a consistent primary election date—the third Tuesday in June.

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, who heads the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, introduced the Primary Date Alteration Amendment Act of 2017 in March.

At the time, D.C. law stated that the city’s primary should take place on the first Tuesday in September. But for the past six years, city officials have instead designated election dates in April and June to avoid breaking a federal law, which requires that overseas voters receive general-election ballots at least 45 days before election day.

D.C. Board of Elections officials told Allen that the department wouldn’t meet the federal requirement before the November general election if the 2018 primary remained on September 4.

So the new law bumps next year’s primary election day—and all of those thereafter—up by three months.

Because D.C. has a closed primary, only those registered with a party will be able to vote on the June 19, 2018 primary, which includes a mayoral race. In the heavily Democratic district, the primary is often more competitive than the general election.

Allen said in a release that the date change also benefits the city because it doesn’t conflict with schedules of schools, which account for many polling sites, nor does it coincide with federal holidays so it maximizes voter turnout.