Outreach Community Newsletter September 2026

Beginning next week, vote-by-mail ballots will start arriving in mailboxes across San Francisco. Every registered voter will receive a ballot, giving voters the flexibility to cast it when and where it is most convenient for them.

Voters can return their ballots by mail, take them to one of the City’s 37 secure drop boxes or the City Hall Voting Center, or bring them to any of the 501 polling places open on Election Day.

As we connect with voters at outreach events across the city, we are sharing four reminders to help every ballot count:

1. Don’t forget to sign the return envelope. After marking your ballot, place it inside the return envelope, seal the envelope, and sign it. By law, the Department compares this signature with the voter’s signature on file before counting the ballot.
2. The earlier you return your ballot, the better. Voting early helps you avoid the last-minute rush and check voting off your to-do list. Voters returning their ballots close to or on Election Day are encouraged to use one of the City’s 37 official ballot drop boxes, the City Hall Voting Center, or any polling place on Election Day.
3. Mailing your ballot on Election Day? Take your ballot to a USPS retail counter and ask a postal employee to postmark it by hand. This helps ensure the ballot receives an Election Day postmark and remains eligible to be counted.
4. Follow your ballot through the Voter Portal. Visit sfelections.gov/voterportal to confirm when the Department has received and counted your ballot.

Voters may have seen recent reports about a federal ballot-mail rule and wondered whether it could affect the November 3 Election. On September 17, 2026, USPS has publicly announced that it will not enforce the federal ballot-mail rule in 2026. This means the rule will not affect how ballots are delivered to voters or returned to the Department for this election. Voters can continue to rely on USPS and use the prepaid return envelope included in their ballot packets.

USPS will continue using its established procedures for identifying, processing, and delivering Election Mail. Completed ballots returned by mail are handled as First-Class Mail, and USPS recognizes that ballots are time-sensitive and require prompt processing and delivery.

Beginning when ballot packets are delivered to the USPS facility on Evans Avenue in San Francisco and continuing through November 10—the deadline for the Department to receive mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day—Department staff remain in daily contact with local USPS representatives. Staff also review USPS scan data for ballots returned by mail and compare that information with the number of ballots received by the Department. This daily coordination helps us track the movement of ballot mail, identify unexpected patterns or delays, and respond quickly to potential concerns.

Voters can also follow their ballots throughout the process. By selecting the Track My Ballot tab in the Department’s Voter Portal, voters can track their ballots from assembly and mailing through signature verification and counting.

Voters who prefer to receive automatic ballot updates can sign up at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov. This service provides ballot status notifications by text message, email, or voice call.

We encourage voters to stay attentive and contact the Department promptly if their ballot does not arrive as expected, their tracking information does not update, or they have concerns about their ballot’s delivery or return status. Together, our daily coordination with USPS and the tracking tools available to voters provide greater visibility throughout the process and help voters feel confident that their ballots are being received and counted.

The November ballot will consist of four cards and include federal, state, and local contests, along with 14 state measures, one regional measure, and 10 local measures, so voters will have quite a bit to review and vote on!

To help voters prepare, we will send every registered voter a Voter Information Pamphlet. The pamphlet includes information about local candidates and measures, a sample ballot, and helpful information about voting in San Francisco.

This election’s pamphlet also features members of the Department’s team carrying out some of the many activities that make an election possible—from preparing voting equipment and assisting voters to processing ballots. Although we may not have the opportunity to meet each of San Francisco’s more than 500,000 voters, we hope these images provide a closer look at the people and work behind the city’s elections.

Voters will also receive a Voter Information Guide from the California Secretary of State. The guide includes information about statewide measures, candidate statements, and other election information.

With so much on the ballot, we encourage voters to set aside some time to review both guides and mark their sample ballot before voting.

Ranked-choice voting will be an important part of the November 3 Election, with voters using this voting method to elect candidates in several local contests.

With ranked-choice voting, voters can rank candidates in order of preference—first choice, second choice, third choice, and so on. Voters do not have to rank every candidate, and ranking additional candidates does not affect a voter’s first choice.

We have incorporated ranked-choice voting education into our November election outreach campaign to help voters become familiar with the process or refresh their understanding before Election Day. Voters can learn more about ranked-choice voting and practice marking an RCV contest at sfelections.gov/rcv.

For voters who prefer to cast their ballots in person, the Department will offer several convenient opportunities to vote before and on Election Day.

Early Voting at the City Hall Voting Center

Early voting will begin at the City Hall Voting Center on October 5. The Voting Center is open to all San Francisco voters, regardless of where they live in the city.

At the Voting Center, voters can cast or drop off a ballot, receive language assistance, use accessible voting equipment, register to vote or update their registration, and receive help with other voting needs.

The Voting Center will be open:

• Monday through Friday, except the October 12 holiday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The two weekends before Election Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Election Day, November 3, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Election Day Voting at 501 Polling Places

On Election Day, voters can also cast their ballots at their assigned polling places. All polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Because polling place locations can change from one election to another, we encourage voters to confirm their assigned location before heading out to vote. Voters can find their assigned polling place on the back cover of the Voter Information Pamphlet arriving in early October, online at sfelections.gov/myvotinglocation, or by calling the Department.

Whether voters choose to visit City Hall or vote at their neighborhood polling place on Election Day, we encourage everyone to make a plan that works best for them.

Every voter has the right to cast a ballot privately and free from intimidation or interference, whether voting in person or returning a vote-by-mail ballot. The Department of Elections is committed to maintaining safe, orderly, and welcoming voting locations and official ballot drop boxes where all eligible voters can exercise their right to vote.

Election laws prohibiting intimidation, threats, coercion, and interference apply to everyone, including members of the public, government officials, and law-enforcement personnel, including federal immigration-enforcement agents. No one may intimidate voters or interfere with their ability to cast or return a ballot.

To support a safe and accessible voting process, the Department:

• Deploys field-support personnel to assist polling places throughout Election Day
• Trains poll workers to recognize and immediately report conduct that could intimidate voters, disrupt voting, or interfere with access to a voting location, regardless of who engages in the conduct
• Provides poll workers with procedures for reporting situations that may interfere with voting and requesting assistance from the Department
• Monitors reports involving voting locations and official ballot drop boxes and coordinates an appropriate response
• Posts multilingual notices explaining prohibited conduct and how voters can report concerns or request assistance
• Administers rules governing electioneering, election observers, and conduct at voting locations and around official ballot drop boxes
• Works with City and State agencies and law enforcement, when necessary, to protect voters and maintain safe access to voting

If you experience or witness possible intimidation or interference at a voting location or around an official ballot drop box, contact the Department at (415) 558-6100 or SFVote@sfgov.org. The Department will help affected voters identify a safe way to cast or return their ballots, which may include voting at the City Hall Voting Center or using an official ballot drop box.

Through Election Day, we will continue providing our community partners with timely, ready-to-share messages. You can share them through your newsletters, social media, community events, and conversations with the people you serve. Here are this month’s messages:

Watch for your ballot and return it early.
Vote-by-mail ballots will begin arriving in early October. After marking your ballot, place it inside the return envelope, seal and sign the envelope, and return it as soon as possible. Track your ballot from mailing through counting at sfelections.gov/voterportal.

USPS ballot services remain unchanged.
USPS has announced that it will not enforce the federal ballot-mail rule in 2026. Voters can continue to rely on USPS to receive and return their ballots using the prepaid return envelope included in their ballot packets.

In-person voting is available at the City Hall Voting Center
Voting at the City Hall Voting Center begins October 5. All San Francisco voters can cast or drop off a ballot, receive language assistance, use accessible voting equipment, or get help with other voting needs.

Every voter has the right to vote without intimidation.
No one may intimidate voters or interfere with their ability to cast or return a ballot. To report possible intimidation or interference at a voting location or official ballot drop box, contact the Department at (415) 558-6100 or SFVote@sfgov.org. If there is an immediate threat to personal safety, call 911.

Over the past month, the Department’s Outreach Team connected with San Franciscans at community events across the city. A special highlight was National Voter Registration Day on September 15, when we focused on helping young San Franciscans register and prepare for the November 3 Election.

Working with campus partners and student-led civic organizations, our team hosted voter resource tables at the University of San Francisco, City College of San Francisco, UCSF, and San Francisco State University. Together, we registered dozens of new voters, recruited poll workers, and had hundreds of conversations about voter registration and election participation. Here are a few photos from recent outreach events:

Registered students to vote and recruited poll workers for the upcoming election.

Conducted a bilingual November 3 Election presentation for seniors.

Assisted voters with opting out of receiving the printed Voter Information Pamphlet.

Thank you for reading and for continuing to be such an important part of our outreach efforts. When we return in October, the November 3 Election will be just around the corner. We hope you will have made your voting plan and helped the people you serve make theirs.

Until then, please reach out if you need election materials, information, or support for your outreach.

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