Logan Circle wine bar operator and independent D.C. Council at-large hopeful Khalid Pitts could be headed for a strong showing in November’s race. He’s got a hefty fundraising operation, and a bunch of national-level operators to go with it. Here’s one problem for Pitts, though: Until a few months ago, he had never been registered to vote in the District.

Despite living in the District for 19 years, the Logan Circle wine bar owner only registered to vote here on Dec. 31, 2013, three months before announcing his run for office.

Pitts wasn’t disenfranchised in the meantime. Instead, according to campaign spokeswoman Christy Setzer, Pitts continued to vote in his home state of Michigan even as he lived in the District.

In a lengthy statement sent to LL, Pitts touted other work he’d done to improve the city. “I’m not just a wonk or a well-meaning business owner who doesn’t know politics,” says Pitts. “I walk the walk.”

If Pitts collects enough signatures, he’ll have company on the ballot with another candidate who’s eager to collect votes but hasn’t proved as eager to cast them.

Statehood Green candidate Eugene Puryear, a 10-year resident of the District, registered to vote on Nov. 12. Compared to Pitts, this socialist office-seeker’s explanation for not registering to vote is more Zuccotti Park than Logan Circle.

“The way I saw my role politically at the time was not really being involved in sort of the electoral process,” Puryear says.

Apparently, he changed his mind. Fourteen days after registering to vote, Puryear filed papers to run for Council.

Photo courtesy Khalid Pitts