Ranked-Choice Voting Is Coming This November!

What is ranked-choice voting?

Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank a first, second and third choice candidate for a single office. The November 2, 2004 election will be the first San Francisco election using ranked-choice voting.

How are ranked-choice votes counted?

All first-choice votes are counted first, and if a candidate receives a majority (50%+1) of the first-choice votes that candidate is elected.

If no candidate receives a majority of the first-choice votes, a process of eliminating candidates and transferring votes begins. The candidate who received the fewest number of first-choice votes is eliminated, and votes cast for the eliminated candidate are transferred to the voter's next-choice candidate. The votes are then recounted. If any candidate receives a majority of the votes, that candidate is elected. If no candidate receives a majority, the process of eliminating candidates and transferring votes is repeated, until one candidate receives a majority.

Who is elected using ranked-choice voting?

On November 2, 2004, San Francisco voters will use ranked-choice voting to elect Supervisors for districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Ranked-choice voting does not apply to elections for School Board or Community College Board, or to candidates for State or federal office.

In future elections, San Francisco will use ranked-choice voting to elect the Mayor, City Attorney, District Attorney, Public Defender, Treasurer, Assessor and Sheriff.

Must I rank three candidates for each office?

A voter may—but is not required— to rank three choices for each office.

If I really want my first-choice candidate to win, should I rank the candidate as my first, second and third choice?

Ranking a candidate more than once does not benefit the candidate. If a voter ranks one candidate as the voter's first, second and third choice, it is the same as if the voter leaves the second or third choice blank. If the candidate is eliminated, it is not possible to transfer the vote to the voter's next-choice candidate, because no next-choice is indicated.

If I can't decide between two candidates, can I give them the same ranking?

If a voter gives more than one candidate the same ranking, those votes cannot be counted.

Can I write in candidates and rank them as my first, second or third choice?

Yes.

What can I expect when I go to the polling place?

San Francisco will continue to use paper ballots and the same optical scan voting equipment it has used since 2000, so these should be familiar to voters. But the design of the ballot and the instruction to rank up to three choices for each office will be new.

Voters can familiarize themselves with ballot design and instructions by looking a at sample ballot. Sample ballots are included in the Voter Information Pamphlet that is mailed to all voters. Demonstration ballots will also be available at the Department of Elections and on the Department's website beginning in July.

When will the final election results be available?

The Department of Elections must process all ballots—ballots cast at polling places, absentee ballots, and provisional ballots—before determining whether any candidate received a majority of the first-choice votes. The Department must determine whether any candidate received a majority of the first-choice votes before it can determine whether the process of eliminating candidates and transferring votes will be necessary. For this reasons, if the process of elimination and transfer is necessary, it will not start until at least several days after the election, after the Department has checked the validity of each absentee and provisional ballot.

The Department of Elections cannot predict the date on which it will begin the process of elimination and transfer. The Department will do so as soon as possible, after all provisional and absentee ballots are processed. The Department will report final election results no later than 28 days after election day.

Is "ranked-choice voting" the same as "instant runoff voting?"

In San Francisco, ranked-choice voting is sometimes called "instant run-off voting." The Department of Elections generally uses the term ranked-choice voting, because it describes the voting method—voter are directed to rank their first, second and third choice candidates. The Department also uses the term ranked-choice voting because the word "instant" might create an expectation that final results will be available immediately after the polls close on election night. But the term "instant run-off" does not mean instantaneous reporting of results—the term means that there is no need for a separate run-off election.

For more information about ranked-choice voting, please contact the Department of Elections at 554-4375.