LWVSF voter guide

Ballots are mailed to registered voters in California in early October. To get a ballot, register to vote by October 19. If you register after that date, you'll need to vote in person. Already registered? It's always a good idea to check your voter registration.

Track your ballot with the San Francisco Voter Portal or California BallotTrax.

Candidate races

On the federal level, you'll be asked to vote for:

• U.S. Congress, District 11 or 15 (look up your district)

On the state and regional level, you'll  be asked to vote for:

• Governor
• Lieutenant Governor
• Secretary of State
• Controller
• Treasurer
• Attorney General
• Insurance Commissioner
• Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Board of Equalization, District 2 (all SF residents are in this district)
• State Assembly, District 17 or 19 (look up your district)
• BART Board, District 8 (look up your district)

On the local San Francisco level, you'll be asked to vote for:

• Board of Supervisors, Districts 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 (look up your district)
• Assessor-Recorder
• Public Defender
• SFUSD Board of Education, 3 seats
• Community College Board, 3 full-term seats and 1 partial-term seat

Note: Qualified non-citizen voters will only vote for SFUSD Board of Education.

Propositions

You'll also be asked to vote "Yes" or "No" on several state, regional, and local propositions:

• 14 state propositions
• 1 regional proposition
• 10 local propositions

Get reliable, unbiased information you can trust from the League of Women Voters. We don't endorse candidates. Instead, we provide information so you can make your own decision and vote!

RSVP for candidate forums or watch event recordings of the ones you missed. We're hosting forums for San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 8 and District 10, and San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education (SFUSD school board).

Watch short candidate statement videos where people running for local office share their platforms and qualifications.

Also, check out official election information from the San Francisco Department of Elections and California Secretary of State, and other helpful resources from Ballotpedia, a nonpartisan nonprofit.

Sort of. A few things are happening here.

Statewide offices: Some statewide races in June were primaries, where multiple candidates ran against each other. The two candidates who got the most votes in each of those primary races now face off in the November election, and whoever wins takes office.

Board of Supervisors District 2 and District 4: Before the June election, those supervisors had been appointed by the Mayor to fill vacancies, not elected. So voters in the June election chose people to serve as those supervisors for the rest of that term. In the November election, all the even-numbered supervisor districts, including District 2 and 4, are up for their regular election for the next full term.

SFUSD Board of Education (school board): Before the June election, one school board member had been appointed by the Mayor to fill a vacancy, not elected. So voters in the June election chose someone to serve in that seat on the school board for the rest of that term. In the November election, three Board of Education seats are up for their regular election for the next full term.

One of the current members of the Community College Board was appointed by the Mayor to fill a vacancy, not elected. As a result, San Francisco voters need to choose someone to serve in that seat on the Community College Board for the rest of that term.

Three other Community College Board seats are up for their regular election for the next full term. The top three vote-getters will serve in those three full-term seats.

Get proposition information you can trust from the League of Women Voters about the 10 San Francisco propositions, 1 regional measure, and 14 state propositions. 

If you're looking just for San Francisco proposition information, check out our trusted Pros & Cons Guide to understand what's on your ballot, and use our San Francisco proposition endorsements to vote with the League of Women Voters!

Also, check out official election information from the San Francisco Department of Elections and California Secretary of State, and other helpful resources from Ballotpedia, a nonpartisan nonprofit.

The League of Women Voters is nonpartisan and does not support or oppose candidates or political parties, so we never endorse candidates. 

We share unbiased candidate information so you can learn about the people who want to represent you, then make your own decision and vote.

Do your best to fill out as much of your ballot as you can. We're here to help! Learn about what's on your ballot using our proposition information and candidate information.

If you're not sure about something, leaving something blank on your ballot is okay. Your other votes will still be counted — as long as you got your ballot in by the deadline and you signed and dated the envelope.

What about protest votes? 

Sometimes people want to leave something blank on purpose as a type of protest against the candidate choices or political system.

But, since California doesn't require people to vote on everything on the ballot, a protest vote isn't tracked differently than any other blank. Blanks for any reason and incorrectly filled bubbles are all reported as what's called "undervotes."

If you feel you must cast a protest vote, don't damage your ballot or write messages on it. That can get your whole ballot classified as spoiled, and it won't be counted at all.

If it's been more than three days since your ballot was mailed, or if you lost, damaged, or made a mistake marking your ballot, you can request a replacement ballot using the San Francisco Voter Portal or by calling the Department of Elections at 415-558-6100.  

Voting early is your best option — and it's easy!

By voting early, you can return your ballot when it's most convenient. Once you've filled out your ballot as best you can, you must sign, date, and seal the envelope. And then:

• Use an official ballot drop box. There will be several open in San Francisco for this election. Drop boxes are available every day, 24 hours a day starting in early October.
• Visit the City Hall Voting Center to drop off your ballot or get in-person help from the Department of Elections.
• Put it in any blue USPS mailbox. Make sure your ballot gets counted with our tips for mailing your ballot. If it's close to Election Day, do not put your ballot in a mailbox.

No matter which early voting method you choose, the deadline to return your ballot is 8pm on Election Day on November 3.

The deadline to return your ballot is 8pm on Election Day on November 3.

On Election Day, there are several ways to return your ballot, all available from 7am to 8pm:

• Use an official ballot drop box that will be open for this election
• Visit the City Hall Voting Center
• Bring it to any polling place in the city
• Have someone else drop it off by filling out the authorization section of your ballot return envelope

If you need to, you can mail your ballot, but you must walk it into a post office and make sure it gets postmarked no later than Election Day, November 3. Get our tips for mailing your ballot.

There are several ways you can get assistance with casting your ballot safely and securely. Contact the San Francisco Department of Elections and they'll help you with:

• replacement ballot
• ballot pick up and delivery
• accessible vote-by-mail system
• curbside service
• military voting
• voting from another country
• and more.

Yes. Eligible non-citizens who are a parent, legal guardian, or caregiver of a child under the age of 19 living in San Francisco have the right to participate in Board of Education (school board) elections — but not other items on the ballot. Learn about non-citizen voting in San Francisco.