SF Voters Head to the Polls in Pivotal General Election

Fourth time’s the charm for San Francisco as voters—or at least those who haven’t already voted early—make their voices heard Tuesday in the fourth and final election of 2022. 

On tap this time? Warring housing and transportation measures, a testy race for district attorney and several contested Board of Supervisors and Board of Education races—and those are just the local questions. 

The long list of measures follows a recent trend of San Franciscans taking their political grievances to the ballot, with two recall elections this year ousting four elected officials. San Francisco voters are in a foul mood, with key institutions and elected officials getting very low marks from voters. 

Here are some of the top themes for local voters in Tuesday’s election. (Check out our voter guide for the full rundown on every item on the ballot):

• Supervisors Spar: With two supervisor districts up for election, Joel Engardio and Gordon Mar are vying for the much-coveted District 4 seat, while Matt Dorsey and Honey Mahogany duke it out in District 6.
• Recall Remorse? After District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled earlier this year and replaced by Brooke Jenkins, voters get to decide if they like the mayor’s pick.
• Schools at Stake: After the recall of three school board members earlier this year, Mayor London Breed appointed their replacements, who are now up for election alongside several competitors, including recalled Board President Gabriela López. 
• Housing Hullaballo: Two competing ballot measures, Propositions D and E, square off in a YIMBY vs. progressive battle for how to build affordable housing faster in SF.
• JFK Jockeying: It’s up to voters to decide if cars should be allowed back on JFK Drive and the future of the Great Highway as Props I and J face off—plus a ballot measure that could move control over a Golden Gate Park parking lot into city hands. 

Outside of deep-blue San Francisco, statewide voters will also weigh in on the reelection of Gov. Gavin Newsom, among other key races, as voters nationwide choose the makeup of the House of Representatives and the Senate heading into the second half of President Biden’s presidential term. 

Voting centers are open all over the city (check out this one at the San Francisco Columbarium), and there’s still plenty of time to fill out a ballot—but if you haven’t mailed it in by Tuesday, avoid using the mailboxes and head to drop boxes instead. Voters can check if their ballots have been counted here. 

Nearly 132,000 ballots were returned to the SF Dept. of Elections by Monday, which is slightly more than the last midterm election in 2018. The last midterm, however, was before every San Franciscan received a mailed ballot, as is the rule today.

So whether the slight pre-election bump in turnout will translate into a higher overall voter rate is hard to predict. Midterm elections, in general, tend to attract lower participation than presidential ones.