Letter from the Director
Dear San Francisco Voter, August 22, 2018
Election Day is November 6, 2018, and polling places will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., throughout the City. The Department of Elections is prepared for everyone to vote at the polls, by mail, or in City Hall. We have also created much information for voters regarding this Consolidated General Election, which is available on our website, sfelections.org.
Information on Non-citizen Voting
Associated with this November’s election is the Department’s implementation of non-citizen voting in Board of Education elections, as approved by voters under “Prop N” in the November 2016 election. To register and vote in Board of Education elections, non-citizens must live in San Francisco and be the parents, legal guardians, or caregivers (as defined in California Family Code Section 6550) of children under the age of 19 who also live in San Francisco. Anyone in prison or on parole for a felony conviction or currently found by a court to be mentally incompetent is not eligible to register and vote.
Non-citizen voters will vote using a one-card ballot that lists only candidates for the Board of Education contest. Non-citizen voters are not eligible to vote on any other contests besides the Board of Education.
Multi-Card Ballots
Most voters, however, will once again vote using a multi-card ballot, which will consist of four cards. Voters living in even-numbered Supervisorial Districts (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) will see the contest for Board of Supervisors on their ballots.
Ballot Worksheet
As for every election, this Voter Information Pamphlet includes a “Ballot Worksheet,” which provides space to write down your selections for each contest and measure before marking your ballot. Using the Worksheet will assist in marking your vote-by-mail ballot correctly. You can also bring the Worksheet to your polling place to reduce the time you need marking your ballot in the voting booth.
Online Voter Information Pamphlet
This Voter Information Pamphlet is also available in digital versions at voterguide.sfelections.org in accessible HTML and open XML formats in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino. The content is formatted for smart devices, which allows voters much-needed flexibility to review the Pamphlet and consider their voting selections.
City Hall Voting Center
All registered voters in San Francisco can visit the Department’s City Hall Voting Center starting October 9. Starting October 22, the Voting Center will be open each day, including Election Day, during the hours listed below. People can also update their voter registration information at the Voting Center and receive ballots during the same visit. During the weekends, enter City Hall using the Grove Street entrance.
Those who are eligible to vote but not yet registered can also visit the Voting Center to provide their registration information and obtain a ballot. After the official registration period closes on October 22, people can still register to vote and receive a ballot by visiting the City Hall Voting Center through Election Day.
Voting Center Hours
Saturday–Sunday, October 27–28, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday, November 3–4, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Monday, November 5, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, 7 a.m.–8 p.m.
Vote-by-Mail Ballot Drop-off Stations
Starting on November 3, the weekend before Election Day, the Department will provide Ballot Drop-Off stations so voters can deliver their ballots to Department personnel. The stations will be located on the sidewalks in front of City Hall on the Goodlett Place (Polk Street) and Grove Street sides of the building, and available through Election Day during the same hours the Voting Center is open, as listed above.
And, remember to review both sides of all ballot cards when voting so no contest or measure is overlooked and left unvoted — which is another hint to use the Ballot Worksheet so that you know you’ve fully participated in this election!
Respectfully,
John Arntz, Director