In 2015, the Washington, D.C. city council amended election regulation 3-1600 to provide that if a qualified party doesn’t nominate anyone for a particular partisan office in its primary, that party is still free to nominate someone after the primary is over. The party must certify the candidate’s name up until 54 days before the general election.

This year, no Republican filed for any district wide partisan office in the June 2018 primary. But, because of the 2015 amendment, the Republican Party can still nominate, as long as it does so by September 13. Presumably the party will nominate for at least one district wide race, or it will lose its qualified party status after November 2018.

To see the regulation, use this link and for section 3-1600, choose the “view text” button. Thanks to Pat McConnell for this news. D.C. now joins Alabama, South Carolina, and Virginia, as places in which all qualified parties are free to use either primaries or party meetings to nominate.