Membership and Seat Qualifications
The below listed summary of seats, term expirations and membership information shall serve as notice of vacancies, upcoming term expirations, and information on currently held seats, appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Appointments by other bodies are listed, if available.
Seat numbers listed as “VACANT” are open for immediate appointment. However, you are able to submit applications for all seats and your application will be maintained for one year, in the event that an unexpected vacancy or opening occurs.
Seat: 1
Appointing Authority: BOS
Seat Holder: VACANT Term Expired 11/3/24 – Holdover Member Pamela Troy
Term Ending: 11/30/2026
Qualifications:
Must be nominated by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Northern California Chapter or the Northern California Broadcasters Association
Term: 2-years
Seat: 2
Appointing Authority: BOS
Seat Holder: VACANT Term Expired 11/3/24 – Holdover Member Betty Packard
Term Ending: 11/30/2026
Qualifications:
Must be nominated by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Northern California Chapter or the Northern California Broadcasters Association.
Term: 2-years
Seat: 3
Appointing Authority: BOS
Seat Holder: VACANT Term Expired 11/3/24 – Holdover Member Ruth Grace Wong
Term Ending: 11/30/2026
Qualifications:
Must be nominated by the League of Women Voters of San Francisco.
Term: 2-years
Appointing Authority: Mayor
Seat Holder: Michele Anderson
Term Ending: [Enter Term]
Qualifications:
Shall be appointed from persons whose names have been submitted by the Pacific Media Workers Guild (previously The Northern California Newspaper Guild).
Term: 2-years
Appointing Authority Mayor
Seat Holder: VACANT
Term Ending: [Enter Term]
Qualifications:
Shall be an educational reading specialist recommended by the Superintendent of Schools of the San Francisco Unified School District.
Term: 2-years
Appointing Authority: City Attorney
Seat Holder: VACANT
Term Ending: Indefinite
Qualifications:
Shall be the City Attorney, or his/her designee, as an ex-officio member and shall have a voice but no vote in committee proceedings.
Term: Indefinite
Application Process
Please Note: Depending upon the posting date, a vacancy may have already been filled. To determine if a vacancy for this Commission is still available, or if you require additional information, please call the Rules Committee Clerk at (415) 554-5184.
Applications and other documents may be submitted to BOS-Appointments@sfgov.org.
For seats appointed by other Authorities please contact the Board/Commission /Committee / Task Force (see below) or the appointing authority directly.
Next Steps:
Applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be contacted by the Rules Committee Clerk once the Rules Committee Chair determines the date of the hearing. Members of the Rules Committee will consider the appointment(s) at the meeting and applicant(s) may be asked to state their qualifications. The appointment of the individual(s) who is recommended by the Rules Committee will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
Description:
The Ballot Simplification Committee (“Committee”) consists of a total of six (6) members, five (5) of whom are voting members:
Duties:
The Committee shall have the power and duty to: 1) prepare a digest of each measure that will be voted on only in the City and County of San Francisco; and 2) assist the Director of Elections in preparing the additional materials set forth in Elections Code, Article V (Elections Materials mailed to the Voter).
Report:
A Digest for each local measure that will be voted on during an election in the
City and County of San Francisco.
Seat Information:
Three (3) shall be appointed by the Board of Supervisors:
- Two (2) shall be appointed from persons whose names have been submitted by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Northern California Chapter, or the Northern California Broadcasters Association.
- One (1) shall be appointed from persons whose names have been submitted by the League of Women Voters of San Francisco.
Two (2) shall be appointed by the Mayor:
- One (1) shall be appointed from persons whose names have been submitted by the Pacific Media Workers Guild (previously The Northern California Newspaper Guild)
- One (1) shall be an educational reading specialist recommended by the Superintendent of Schools of the San Francisco Unified School District.
- One (1) shall be the City Attorney, or his/her designee, as an ex-officio member and shall have a voice but no vote in committee proceedings.
The term of each appointed member shall be two years unless earlier removed by their respective appointing authority. The Committee shall elect a chair from among its appointed members and the chair shall be for the calendar year.
Residency Requirements:
Each appointed member shall be a registered San Francisco voter, shall possess an understanding of ballot issues, and shall possess writing skills and training which provide for a high capability in written communication to the general public.
Compensation:
None
Holdover Information:
Members may serve as holdover members after their term expires for an indefinite amount of time.
Authority:
Elections Code, Section 600 et seq. (Ordinance Nos. 188-75, 49-87, and 429-97)
Sunset Date:
None
Contact:
Karlie O’Toole
Department of Elections
City Hall, Room 48
San Francisco, CA 94102
BSC.clerk@sfgov.org
Updated: December 22, 2025