During early voting, I've interviewed people at the polls who voted for 13 of the 23 at-large council candidates. Here's a thread about why a voter chose each of those candidates.

Are you supporting 1 of the other 10? Please reply to tell me why, because I want to get them all!

Patricia, 27, voted for @ClaudiaforDC in the hope of seeing the first Latinx council member ever. “There is a certain spot in my heart for Latin America.”

Elijah in Ward 7 thinks @MarkusforDC understands the need for both police reform & relief from gun violence. “We definitely need police. I’m not one to say we need a world without police. We need a world where the police are there for us when we need them and not down our backs.”

Tyler, 32, hopes @jbhenchman will close tax loopholes. “There’s going to be, rightfully, a push for a lot of inclusion, a lot of police reform.... Maybe a different perspective on other important issues” would be valuable alongside the rest of the council, he said.

Oliver, a former ANC commissioner, supports term limits for council members, an idea espoused by @Mario2020dc. "We have council members who have been there for ages. We have term limits for the president; we should have term limits for the council.”

Michael, a retiree, told me he was bothered by activists describing @GoodWinForDC's job as a developer as a bad thing. He thinks a developer's perspective could be useful. “It’s not like the Senate. I think there’s actually some discussion and compromise on the D.C. Council.”

Beza, 27, described @chenderson as “my compassionate vote."

"She’s young, up and coming. She’s also Black. You just have to invest in people and see where they land.”

Catalina, 30, thinks @edlazere's long list of endorsements suggests he'll have helpful "allies" to accomplish his policy goals. "He’s more into budgeting, and also social justice and racial discrimination. I like a lot of the issues that he’s focused on.”

Julie Y., 36, voted for @msjeannelewis. “When I was looking at the candidates’ platforms, I was looking for things I care about, which are D.C. statehood and taking another look at how police are funded and trained in D.C."

Jonathan voted for the first time today at age 41. For years, he believed his criminal record barred him from voting.

He gratefully recalls @OrangeVo40 supporting his Boys & Girls Club in his youth. “All the years I played football and basketball, he funded the whole team."

David, 72, is impressed by Monica Palacio's work on human rights and hopes to see a Latina council member. “We need some more diversification."

As a lifelong D.C. resident, Terrence is pleased by the city's progress and voted to reelect @RobertWhite_DC. “This playground? This scene? When I was coming up, when I was these kids’ age, you couldn’t be out here after 4. Our city officials have been doing a good job.”

Micheline, 70, saw the green party label by @AnnWinDC's name. “Anyone ‘green’ voted for the environment, for future generations.”

That's all I've got for now! If you're voting for one of the remaining candidates, please let me know why.

One more to add to the thread: I just met a Ward 4 taxi driver who voted for @FGarciaDC. He hopes Garcia’s experience in Congress will make him “a good leader.”