Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) are bodies of local government in the District of Columbia, the capital city of the United States district. The ANC system was created in 1974 through a referendum (73 percent voted "yes") in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. The first elections for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners were held in the fall of 1975, and commissions began operating in 1976. Congressman Don Fraser (D-Minn) and D.C. resident Milton Kotler helped to draft the ANC language in the Home Rule Act based on the success of Adams Morgan Organization (AMO) in Adams Morgan and on a 1970 report of the Minneapolis Citizen League, as well as on related neighborhood corporations in Pittsburgh; Brooklyn, New York; Chicago; and Columbus, Ohio. ANCs consider a wide range of policies and programs affecting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and the district's annual budget. Commissioners serve two-year terms and receive no salary, but commissions do receive funds for the general purpose of improving their area and hiring staff. This policy has come under scrutiny because of the misuse of funds by commissioners and their employees. Candidates can accept campaign donations up to $25 per person. As of 2023, ANCs represent more than 100 neighborhoods.

Powers

The powers of the ANC system are enumerated by the DC Code § 1–207.38: The ANCs present their positions and recommendations on issues to various District government agencies, the Executive Branch, and the council. They also present testimony to independent agencies, boards, and commissions, usually under the rules of procedure specific to those entities. By law, the ANCs may present their positions to Federal agencies. One of the most common cases of ANC involvement is in the giving of liquor licenses, where the approval or disapproval of the commission, despite having no legal power, represents a veto to the district government.

Membership and qualifications

Each ANC Commissioner is nominated and elected by the registered voters who reside in the same Single Member District as the candidate. The ANC Commissioner is an official representing her or his neighborhood community (Single Member District) on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. In order to hold the office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, an individual must be a registered voter (or must be able to register to vote within two years) in the District, as defined by DC Code Section 1-1001.02; have resided continuously in the Single Member District from which they are nominated for the 60-day period immediately preceding the day on which the nominating petition is filed; and hold no other public office. In order to enter the public ballot, they must receive 25 signatures from registered voters in their district.

Single Member Districts

The basic area of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are Single Member Districts. There are 299 Single Member Districts, which in turn are subdivisions of 39 'Commission Districts', which are in turn subdivisions of Wards. Each Commissioner represents about 2,000 residents in their Single Member District (SMD) area. Due to population growth and redistribution, these boundaries often change, causing shifts in power and election turnout. Single Member Districts are named according to Ward, Subdivision, and then Single Member District. For instance, 3B05 is Ward 3, subdivision B, and SMD 05.

Ward 1

Ward 2

Ward 3

Ward 4

Ward 5

Ward 6

Ward 7

Ward 8

Members

The 345 commissioners are: ANC 1A ANC 1B ANC 1C ANC 1D ANC 1E ANC 2A ANC 2B ANC 2C ANC 2D ANC 2E ANC 2F ANC 2G ANC 3A ANC 3B ANC 3C ANC 3D ANC 3E ANC 3F ANC 3/4G ANC 4A ANC 4B ANC 4C ANC 4D ANC 4E ANC 5A ANC 5B ANC 5C ANC 5D ANC 5E ANC 5F ANC 6A ANC 6B ANC 6C ANC 6D ANC 6E ANC 6F/8F ANC 7B ANC 7C ANC 7D ANC 7E ANC 7F ANC 8A ANC 8B ANC 8C ANC 8D ANC 8E