Shall the City amend the Charter to hold elections for Mayor, Sheriff, District Attorney, City Attorney and Treasurer in November of presidential election years, extend the current terms of these officials by one year to January 2025, provide that there would be no regularly scheduled election in 2023, hold elections for local ballot measures only in even-numbered years or in special elections, and change the minimum number of signatures required for voters to place ordinances and declarations of policy on the ballot?
Digest by the Ballot Simplification Committee
The Way It Is Now: The City holds elections for local offices in even- and odd-numbered years. The mayor, sheriff, district attorney, city attorney and treasurer are elected every four years in November of odd-numbered years. The last regular election for these offices was in November 2019, and the next scheduled election for these offices will be in November 2023.
The City holds elections for assessor-recorder, public defender, members of the Board of Supervisors, School Board and City College Board every four years in November of even-numbered years. Elections for state and federal offices are also held in even-numbered years.
Local ballot measures can be on the ballot in both even- and odd-numbered years. Voters may place a City ordinance or declaration of policy on the ballot by submitting enough signatures from San Francisco voters on an initiative petition. To qualify for the ballot, the petition must include signatures from San Francisco voters equaling at least 5% of the votes cast for all candidates in the preceding election for mayor. As of July 2022, these petitions require a minimum of 8,979 signatures.
The Proposal: Proposition H would require that the City hold elections for the mayor, sheriff, district attorney, city attorney and treasurer in November of presidential election years. As a result, the City would hold elections for all local offices in even-numbered years only.
If this proposal is approved, there would be no regularly scheduled 2023 election. The current terms of the mayor, sheriff, district attorney, city attorney and treasurer would be extended by one year. The next election for these offices would be in November 2024. The City would then hold elections for those offices every four years.
Under Proposition H, the City could place measures on the ballot only in even-numbered years or in special elections.
Proposition H would also change the minimum number of signatures required for City initiative ordinances and declarations of policy from 5% of the votes cast in the last mayoral election to 2% of registered voters in San Francisco, which was 9,948 as of July 2022.
A "YES" Vote Means: If you vote "yes," you want the City to hold elections for mayor, sheriff, district attorney, city attorney and treasurer in November of presidential election years, to hold elections for local ballot measures only in even-numbered years or in special elections, and to change the minimum number of signatures required for voters to place ordinances and declarations of policy on the ballot. There would be no regularly scheduled 2023 election, and the current terms of the mayor, sheriff, district attorney, city attorney and treasurer would be extended by one year.
A "NO" Vote Means: If you vote "no," you do not want to make these changes.
Controller's Statement on "H"
City Controller Ben Rosenfield has issued the following statement on the fiscal impact of Proposition H:
Should the proposed Charter amendment be approved by the voters, in my opinion, it would decrease the cost of government by approximately $6.9 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023–2024 and in subsequent odd-numbered years, by consolidating elections and eliminating municipal elections in odd-numbered years. However, these savings would be reduced or eliminated if a special election is required in an odd-numbered year.
The proposed Charter amendment would require elections for Mayor, Sheriff, District Attorney, City Attorney and Treasurer to be held in even-numbered years. To do so, the amendments provides that the people elected to these offices in 2019 would serve a five-year term. The next election for these offices would be in November 2024 followed by elections for these offices every four years in even-numbered years.
These changes would save the City approximately $9 million for the cost of running general municipal elections in odd-numbered years, offset by approximately $2.1 million for the cost of printing and mailing ballot cards and voter information pamphlets, temporary staffing costs, and other materials and services that would be shifted from one year to the next, for a net savings of $6.9 million over two years beginning in FY 2023–24.
The amendment would also change the signature threshold for initiative ordinances to two percent of the last number of registered voters in San Francisco, instead of five percent of the turnout in the last mayoral election.
How "H" Got on the Ballot
On July 19, 2022, the Board of Supervisors voted 7 to 4 to place Proposition H on the ballot. The Supervisors voted as follows:
Yes: Chan, Melgar, Peskin, Preston, Ronen, Safai, Stefani.
No: Dorsey, Mandelman, Mar, Walton.
This measure requires 50%+1 affirmative votes to pass.