San Francisco's November Election Transforms Campaigns With Ranked-Choice Voting

San Francisco voters will cast ballots under a new system this November. For the first time, the mayor's race, all 11 supervisory contests, and the district attorney election will use ranked-choice voting, a method that lets voters list candidates by preference rather than picking just one. The change reshapes how candidates must campaign and who has a realistic path to winning office in a crowded field.

The city approved ranked-choice voting in 2002, but it was first used only for local ballot measures and a handful of races over the past two decades. Expanding it to the mayor's race-where five or six major candidates are expected to compete for the job-represents the biggest shift in how San Franciscans elect their top official since the system became law. For supervisors, the change means candidates can no longer rely on narrow geographical bases or single-issue support to win a seat. A supervisor candidate who wins 30 percent of first-choice votes in a district with five or six competitors will no longer guarantee victory. Instead, campaigns must court supporters of other candidates by earning their second and third preferences.

City officials and policy analysts say the system encourages candidates to broaden their appeal and avoid harsh personal attacks that might alienate voters they need in later rounds. In practice for San Francisco, this means working-class neighborhoods will see candidates spend more time explaining how they would address rents, street conditions and homelessness-not just mobilizing their core supporters. A supervisor race in the Mission or Sunset will likely feature candidates who appeal across demographic and ideological lines, since winning 25 percent of first-choice votes leaves candidates heavily dependent on how voters ranked their competitors.

What Changes for Residents and Campaigns

For residents, the shift creates both opportunities and complications. Campaign materials will need to explain the mechanics of ranking choices to voters unfamiliar with the system. The Department of Elections has budgeted $2.1 million for outreach, ballot design and voting equipment updates to support ranked-choice voting across these races. Poll workers at the city's 235 voting locations will need training to explain the system to voters who have only ever cast a single vote in mayoral races. San Francisco will use paper ballots with ranked-choice options, not electronic voting machines, which means counting will take longer-preliminary results may not arrive until November 6 or later, days after election day on November 4.

For candidates, the mathematics of ranked-choice voting shift campaign strategy. A mayoral candidate who wins 35 percent of first-choice votes but is ranked last by supporters of other candidates could lose in later rounds. This incentivizes candidates to seek endorsements from rivals and their supporters, and to avoid inflammatory rhetoric. In supervisor races across densely populated districts, candidates will need to piece together coalitions across neighborhoods and constituencies. A candidate who wins strong support on one block but is disliked elsewhere faces an uphill battle to convert second and third preferences into a majority.

The elections department will conduct a public count of ballots in the week after voting, a process that city officials say will be transparent but time-consuming. The mayoral race result could hinge on whether voters who backed a third-place finisher ranked their second choice strategically or expressively. Residents should expect final results in some races to shift as ballots are retabulated through multiple rounds of eliminating the lowest vote-getter and redistributing their votes. The supervisor races, which elect one winner per district, will follow the same tabulation process as the mayor's race.

Early voting begins October 27. The Department of Elections website will include materials explaining how to rank candidates and what happens during the counting process. For San Francisco residents, the November election marks a significant change in how their votes translate into representation-one that could upend who wins office and how candidates build support in the months ahead.