Outreach Community Newsletter July 2026

This November, San Francisco voters will have the opportunity to vote not only for federal, state, and local candidates, but also on a number of state and local ballot measures.

The November ballot is expected to include 14 statewide measures and 13 local measures, with additional local measures still possible before the filing deadline.

One feature unique to San Francisco is the work of the Ballot Simplification Council, which helps make local ballot measures easier to understand. For the upcoming November Election, the Council has been meeting in public since July 20 and will continue through August 7 to prepare impartial, plain-language summaries—known as digests—for each local ballot measure. These digests explain the purpose and effect of each measure in language that is clear, concise, and nonpartisan.

To make the information as accessible as possible, the Council strives to write each digest at approximately an eighth-grade reading level. The Council's completed digests are then published in the Voter Information Pamphlet, provided to every registered voter before the election.

The Ballot Simplification Council consists of five volunteer members appointed by the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, and the Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District. The Council's meetings are open to the public, and anyone interested is welcome to attend or follow its work. More information is available at sfelections.gov/bsc.

We are grateful to the members of the Ballot Simplification Council for volunteering their time and expertise to help make the ballot more accessible and understandable for all San Francisco voters.

As we continue looking for ways to reduce paper usage and make government services more sustainable, San Francisco voters have an easy opportunity to make a difference.

For each election, the Department of Elections prints and mails nearly 500,000 Voter Information Pamphlets to registered voters across San Francisco. These official, nonpartisan guides include each voter's sample ballot along with information about candidates, ballot measures, and voting options. Producing and mailing hundreds of thousands of these often multi-hundred-page pamphlets requires substantial amounts of paper and public resources.

By law, every registered voter receives a printed Voter Information Pamphlet unless they choose to receive the pamphlet electronically. As a result, households with multiple registered voters often receive duplicate copies.

If your household doesn't need multiple printed pamphlets, consider sharing one printed copy while the remaining voters opt to receive the digital version.

Making the switch is easy. To opt out of receiving a printed Voter Information Pamphlet, voters may update their preference through the Voter Portal at sfelections.gov/voterportal, email SFVote@sfgov.org, or call the Department of Elections at (415) 558-6100.

We hope you will help share this message with the communities you serve. By working together, we can reduce paper usage, make our elections more sustainable, and ensure voters continue to have easy access to the trusted, nonpartisan information they need.

The Department of Elections will begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots for the November 3 Election in early October. Every registered voter in California now receives a vote-by-mail ballot, making it easier than ever to participate in elections.

One small but important step in the voting process is signing the ballot return envelope. That signature helps us verify a voter's identity before the ballot is counted.

Most people don't think much about their signature, but it can naturally change over time. If the signature on a ballot return envelope does not reasonably compare with the signature in the voter's registration record—or if the envelope is not signed—the ballot may require additional steps before it can be counted.

The good news is that resolving a signature issue is straightforward. If additional verification is needed, we will notify the voter by mail and, when possible, by email, along with instructions for correcting the issue.

One of the easiest ways to help avoid a signature issue is to keep voter registration information up to date. If a signature has changed over the years, updating it is quick and easy. Simply submit a new voter registration application online at registertovote.ca.gov or complete a paper voter registration form.

This will be one of our key voter education messages in the months leading up to the November 3 Election. We also encourage you to incorporate this information into your outreach efforts and encourage voters to check that their signatures are up to date.

The City's historical election records date back to California's Act of March 18, 1878, reflecting generations of work to help San Franciscans participate in local, state, and federal elections.

A lot has changed since then. In 1878, voter registration records were maintained on paper, ballots were counted manually, and many of the voting options and services available today simply didn't exist. Today, voters can register online, automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot, track their ballot throughout the election process, access multilingual election information, and use accessible voting technology.

Although election administration has evolved significantly over the years, one thing has remained constant—the people behind every election. Every successful election depends on the dedication of Department employees, hundreds of poll workers, polling place providers, partner City agencies, and community partners working together to serve San Francisco voters.

As we prepare for the November 3 Election, we extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to election administration over the years and to the voters who continue to place their trust in us every election.

One of this month's highlights was participating in the Youth 1st One City Day/Family Day event at Merced Heights Playground, part of San Francisco's inaugural One City Day—a citywide celebration of volunteerism, community service, and neighborhood pride.

The event gave us a wonderful opportunity to connect with students and families and introduce young people to the many ways they can get involved in civic life. We highlighted the Department's High School Elections Ambassador Program, which gives students hands-on experience with voter outreach and election administration, and the High School Poll Worker Program, where students gain leadership, workplace, and public service experience while helping their community on Election Day.

We also shared information about civic volunteer opportunities for adults, including service on the Department's Language Accessibility Advisory Committee, Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee, and Poll Worker Advisory Network. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table to learn more about election services, volunteer opportunities, and ways to stay engaged in our community.

This month, our Outreach team participated in community events throughout San Francisco, meeting voters where they live, work, and gather. We answered questions about voting, assisted eligible residents with voter registration, recruited poll workers, and provided resources to help voters prepare for the November 3 Election.

Here are some highlights from our recent outreach events:

Shared information on accessible voter resources and election services at the NAD Conference.

Informed Senior residents how to register and vote in the November election.

Registered SF residents to vote and informed them of their voting rights.

We hope this month's newsletter has provided helpful information and resources to share with your communities. Thank you for partnering with us to keep San Francisco voters informed, engaged, and prepared for the November 3 Election.

Enjoy the rest of your summer! We look forward to staying connected and sharing more election updates as we continue the countdown to Election Day.

Warmly,
Your Outreach Team
Nataliya, Anmarie, Adriana, Max, and Edgar