News

The Department of Elections Sends Over 300,000 Notices to Expand Voter Education on Ranked-Choice Voting

September 12, 2024

Department of Elections

City and County of San Francisco 

John Arntz, Director

For Immediate Release

SAN FRANCISCO, Thursday, September 12, 2024 – To enhance voter education on ranked-choice voting (RCV), the Department of Elections has distributed over 300,000 quadrilingual notices to every household in San Francisco this week. 

Titled “Get Ready to Vote in the November 5, 2024 Election!” the quadrilingual notice provides key reminders about RCV, including details on the contests using RCV on the November 5 ballot, instructions for marking RCV contests, and voter resources for further practice and information. The notice also includes the Department’s contact details for voters with questions.

“Expanding voter education on ranked-choice voting is one of our key outreach priorities as we approach the November 5 election,” said Director John Arntz. “By distributing over 300,000 quadrilingual notices and launching a comprehensive outreach campaign, we aim to ensure that every voter in San Francisco is well-informed and confident when marking their ballots. Our objective is to make RCV education clear and accessible for every voter, regardless of language or learning style, and to ensure San Franciscans are prepared for the upcoming election.”

Over the next two months, the Department will launch an extensive RCV outreach and education campaign.  This multilingual campaign will include:

Topical Presentations: Department personnel will hold informative sessions to explain key aspects of RCV and assist voters in understanding how to mark RCV contests on their ballots.

Multiformat Multilingual Materials: Outreach materials on RCV will be distributed across the City in various formats—print, digital, and video—to address different learning and language preferences as well as accessibility needs.

Grant-Based Collaborative Outreach: The Department has partnered with local community organizations through a grant-based initiative to conduct targeted outreach. These organizations, which serve diverse City residents, will help disseminate information about RCV.

For those who prefer online resources, the Department’s website features a page dedicated to RCV at sfelections.gov/RCV and an interactive tool at sfelections.gov/practiceRCV. This tool allows voters to practice marking an RCV contest with up to ten rankings and provides feedback on how their ballot would be counted in a hypothetical election.

For more information about the November 5 election, please contact the Department of Elections at (415) 554-4375, email sfvote@sfgov.org, or visit the Department’s office in City Hall, Room 48.

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San Francisco Department of Elections

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place 

City Hall, Room 48

San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 554-4375

www.sfelections.gov