Robert White will be Washington's first new congressional delegate in more than three decades after winning 87% of the initial vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

White's victory caps a turbulent final stretch. A 1970 federal law requires the District's delegate to hold no other paid public office on the date of election. After the D.C. attorney general advised him to step down, White resigned his at-large Council seat on Nov. 2, Fox 5 reported.

"I want to make sure that there is nothing that stands between or even appears to stand between this day and the next mission, which is on Capitol Hill," White said at a press conference after his resignation, according to NBC Washington. "This is a time where we need a fighter, not infighting."

White, a former legislative counsel to outgoing Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, will be the third person to hold the non-voting seat. Walter Fauntroy was elected in 1971 and Norton in 1991. Norton made a special appearance at White's election night party, 51st reported.

Council takes a progressive turn

Beyond the delegate race, the D.C. Council is shifting. Aparna Raj, a tenant organizer and former Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists chair, won the Ward 1 seat being vacated by Brianne Nadeau after three terms. Oye Owolewa, a pharmacist and the District's outgoing shadow representative, won the other at-large seat with 69% of the vote, according to 51st.

Independent Elissa Silverman, who won a June special election to fill Kenyan McDuffie's seat after his resignation, had 21% of the first-round vote. The at-large race elects two members, and the Hill Rag reported that ranked-choice tabulation rounds had not yet been completed. 51st reported that Silverman won a full term.

Chairman Phil Mendelson, Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin, Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen all won re-election handily, according to 51st.

Foie gras ban passes big

Voters approved Initiative 86 with 73% support, banning the sale of products made by force-feeding birds to enlarge their livers. The measure was one of the few contentious fights of the general election. Animal rights activists gathered signatures and campaigned for months, while critics called it a waste of government resources and local restaurateurs opposed it as another restriction on a struggling industry, 51st reported.

Enforcement is not guaranteed. The initiative requires District leaders to fund it, and aside from Owolewa, the Council has shown little interest in the ban, according to 51st. Legal challenges are also possible. California banned foie gras but faced lawsuits from producers.

Education board and ANC races

Four State Board of Education (SBOE) seats were on the ballot. The tightest contest was in Ward 3, where incumbent Eric Goulet appears to have narrowly held his seat with 51% of the vote over challenger Aaron Wesolowski. In Ward 5, Lynn Jennings won with 77%. Amber Williams took the Ward 6 seat with 58%. Incumbent Ben Williams ran unopposed in Ward 1.

More than 300 Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) races also filled the ballot, electing the unpaid hyperlocal representatives who connect residents with D.C. government.

What's next

All results are unofficial. The D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) will continue counting mail-in ballots received by Nov. 13, according to the Hill Rag. Certification is expected around Dec. 2. The DCBOE began releasing round-by-round ranked-choice results on Nov. 4.