I:
Introduction:
In the March 2002 election, San Francisco voters narrowly passed Proposition A, a ballot measure
amending the City Charter to dramatically alter the conduct and dynamics of local elections. The first
implementation of that reform occurred in November of 2004 in seven districts of the eleven seat
Board of Supervisors. Previously, the city utilized a more traditional two-round runoff system to
ensure that the victorious candidate receives a majority of votes cast. Ranked Choice Voting attempts
to achieve this same result by permitting voters to rank up to three candidates and having their vote
sequentially redistributed as the lowest vote-getter is eliminated from the competition. While such
alternative voting systems are relatively common outside of the United States, San Francisco became
the largest American city to embark on such a significant electoral experiment.
In the past several years, however, numerous local jurisdictions, including Burlington, VT, Ferndale,
MI, Berkeley, CA, have following San Francisco’s lead in enacting an AV system, countless others
have considered its adoption, and lawmakers in twenty-three states have introduced legislation
mandating its usage in state elections, permitting its usage by local governments, or commissioning an
evaluative study. Yet precious little is known about the tangible consequences of adopting such a
sweeping change, particularly in a diverse metropolis like San Francisco with high numbers of limited
English speakers and a wide range of education levels and political sophistication among prospective
voters.
The decision to adopt an AV system is clearly not a simple one for legislators or voters. Prior to its
adoption in San Francisco, considerable debate emerged centering around whether the reform would
produce less negative, more issue-oriented, and competitive elections, enhance political participation,
and save scarce public resources. But perhaps the greatest source of contention was its anticipated
effect on voters. While proponents used endorsements from prominent leaders of ethnic political
Convention