Progressive members of the Board of Supervisors are considering ways to derail a proposal to eliminate San Francisco’s ranked-choice voting system. As Tuesday’s deadline approaches for supervisors to submit proposed charter amendments for the June ballot, City Hall insiders say Supervisor David Campos is considering a measure to compete with Supervisor Mark Farrell’s plan to eliminate ranked-choice voting and revert back to runoff elections.
Campos declined to discuss his thoughts Friday, but confirmed that he is thinking about such a measure.
Meanwhile, fellow progressive Supervisor John Avalos said he hopes to deprive Farrell’s measure of the six board votes needed to place it on the June ballot. “I think it might be best to make sure that it doesn’t go forward,” Avalos said. Farrell introduced his measure on Election Day, saying, “Almost a decade later, massive numbers of San Franciscans continue to be confused about our voting process in The City.”
… Supervisor Scott Wiener said last month’s mayoral race, in which 10 well-known politicians vied for The City’s top post, made it clear that ranked-choice voting isn’t the best system for San Francisco. “The problem is the lack of clarity,” he said.
Wiener said he supports Farrell’s measure, but would prefer to change the timing of elections. Instead of reverting to a November election with a December runoff, he prefers a mid-September election with a November runoff between the two top vote-getters.
Avalos, who came in second against Mayor Ed Lee in the mayoral race this November, said he remains supportive of the ranked-choice system. “It’s a voting process that is democratic, has a history of high participation — especially when compared to voter turnouts for runoff elections — and saves money by preventing costly runoff elections,” he said.
Full Article: San Francisco Board of Supervisors breaks ranks on voting system | Joshua Sabatini | Local | San Francisco Examiner.