A note from the Department of Elections’ Outreach Team regarding the 3 important changes to the administration of the November 8th election, secure options for voting, and voter educational materials. For any questions please email sfoutreach@sfgov.org or call (415) 554-5685.
With yet another important election around the corner – the November 8, 2022 election – we thank you, in advance, for your continued support to provide equitable and accessible election information to the residents of our City!
Following are some changes to be aware of regarding the administration of the upcoming election:
- San Francisco’s new supervisorial district map will be in effect. As a result of recent redistricting, local voters will use new supervisorial district map in the upcoming election. Voters can familiarize themselves with the changes by comparing their “old” 2011 voting districts to their “new” 2022 voting districts, using a tool at sfelections.org/myvotingdistrict.
- Many polling places have changed. Redistricting triggered many precincts to change, so many voters will have new polling places this election. Voters can check their polling place address on the back cover of the Voter Information Pamphlet or at sfelections.org/myvotinglocation, both available in early October.
- Non-citizen voting has been declared void. On July 29, 2022, the Superior Court of the City and County of San Francisco declared the local law permitting non-citizen voting in School Board elections contrary to the California Constitution that requires voters to be U.S. citizens. The court’s order required the Department of Elections to immediately cease administration of non-citizen registration and voting. Unless and until a subsequent legal action permits the Department to resume administration of non-citizen registration and voting, no non-citizens will be issued ballots in any future San Francisco elections, including the upcoming November 8 School Board election.
In the upcoming election, all San Francisco voters will continue to have many secure options to cast their ballots.
- All voters who are registered by the October 24 registration deadline will automatically receive vote-by-mail ballots in the mail; ballots will begin arriving to voters’ mailboxes around October 10.
- The accessible vote-by-mail system at sfelections.org/access will be availableto all voters starting October 10.
- From October 10 through 8 p.m. on November 8 (Election Day), 34 official ballot drop boxes will be available in neighborhoods across San Francisco. (For locations, please visit sfelections.org/ballotdropoff.)
- Starting October 11, the City Hall Voting Center will be open for in-person voting, ballot drop-off and registration services.
- On Election Day, 501 polling places and the City Hall Voting Center will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for in-person voting, ballot drop-off, and registration services.
To share information about the upcoming election with local voters, the Department of Elections has prepared a series of voter education materials. In addition to providing links to these materials in this email, we will send you a packet with soft copies in the coming weeks. We would greatly appreciate if you could help distribute these non-partisan resources to members of your community.
- Accessible Voting Brochure:This brochure explains the types of accessible voting resources available in person and by mail.
- Experiencing Homelessness Flyer: This flyer, designed for distribution to unhoused or housing insecure residents, explains ways to register to vote and which types of addresses can be used for voter registration purposes.
- Justice-Involved Voter Flyer: This flyer, designed for distribution to voters involved with the criminal justice system, explains ways to register to vote and voter registration qualifications.
- New Voting District Lines Brochure:This brochure contains essential information about redistricting and resources for voters.
- November 8, 2022 Election Flyer: This flyer presents key information about the upcoming election, including ways to register to vote or check your registration information, available voting options and resources, and how to apply to serve as a poll worker.
- November 8, 2022 Election Poster: This poster presents basic information about the upcoming election, including information about voting options and how to get in touch with the Department of Elections with any questions.
- Pre-Registration Card: This card, designed for distribution to 16 and 17-year-old San Franciscans who have pre-registered to vote, provides information for first-time voters and describes opportunities for civic engagement.
- Ranked-Choice Voting Flyer: This flyer explains which local offices are elected using ranked-choice voting, how to mark a ballot with ranked-choice voting contests, and how votes in ranked-choice voting contests are counted.
- Vote by Mail Flyer:This flyer features descriptions of the main steps to voting by mail and how to avoid common mistakes.
- Career Card: This card provides information on employment and volunteer opportunities available at the Department.
The Department also makes the following presentations available:
- November 8, 2022 Election Presentation — This 20-minute presentation covers topics such as registration qualifications and ways to register to vote, election dates and deadlines, voting options (by mail and in-person), and language and accessibility resources.
- 2022 Voting District Map Changes Presentation — This 15-minute presentation explains changes to the voting district lines in San Francisco as a result of recent redistricting.
- Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) Presentation — This 8-minute presentation explains which local offices are elected using ranked-choice voting, how to mark a ballot with ranked-choice voting contests, and how votes in ranked-choice voting contests are counted.
- Accessible Voting Resources Presentation — This 15-minute presentation describes the different types of accessible resources San Franciscans can use to participate in elections privately and independently.
- Voter Registration Drive Presentation — This 15-minute presentation explains how to conduct a registration drive in compliance with state law.
The Department of Elections has published its November 8 Election Voter Outreach and Education Plan, which among other things, describes outreach strategies the Department intends to use to inform City residents about their voting options and other key information. We invite you to review the Plan and provide feedback on the Department’s planned strategies by emailing sfoutreach@sfgov.org or calling (415) 554-5685.
Please do not hesitate to contact us or fill out the Voter Outreach Materials Request Form if you need additional copies of any of the materials listed above, want to schedule an in-person or virtual presentation, or would like to share any feedback on additional outreach strategies we could use to inform our communities. We thank you, in advance, for your continued partnership in disseminating multilingual and non-partisan registration and voting information to voters and future voters of San Francisco!
Respectfully,
Department of Elections’ Outreach Team
