Definitions.
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Expansion of Vote-by-Mail for Exclusively Municipal Elections.
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Editor’s Note:
Former Art. XI, “Vote-by-Mail for the November 3, 2020 Election; Voter’s Choice Act,” expired by operation of law per the terms of its sunset provision (former Sec. 1103(c)) and was removed from the Code at the direction of the Office of the City Attorney.
Whenever the following terms are used in this Article XI, the following definitions shall apply. Other terms shall be defined as set forth in the California Elections Code.
“Department” means the San Francisco Department of Elections.
“Exclusively Municipal Election” shall mean any election for local officials or measures to be held in the City and County that the City has not consolidated with a Federal Election or State Election, including, but not limited to, municipal elections held on the Tuesday immediately following the first Monday in November in 2023 and in every fourth year following 2023.
“Federal Election” shall mean any election for Federal officials held in the City and County.
“State Election” shall mean any election for State officials or measures held in the City and County.
(Added by Ord. 146-21, File No. 210604, App. 9/24/2021, Eff. 10/25/2021)
(a) Purpose. The Department shall seek to expand the use of vote-by-mail by San Francisco voters to the extent permitted by State law, without limiting in-person voting opportunities on or before election day. If any subsequent State or federal law (including, but not limited to, statutes and executive orders) that requires the Department to provide vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters for all municipal elections is approved, enacted, or issued prior to or after the effective date of the ordinance in Board of Supervisors File No. 210604, this Article XI shall be inoperative and the City Attorney shall cause it to be removed from the Municipal Elections Code.
(b) Implementation.
(1) To the extent not otherwise rendered inoperative by subsection (a), in Exclusively Municipal Elections, the Department shall begin distributing vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters, including to voters who have not applied to become vote-by-mail voters, by no later than 29 days before the date of the election.
(2) The Department shall attempt to inform every San Francisco household regarding the opportunity to register as a vote-by-mail voter, as authorized under the California Elections Code, for all municipal elections held in the City and County. Such attempts to inform San Francisco households may include: mail or postcards sent to San Francisco addresses; advertisements on radio or television; posts on the Department’s social media accounts; signs in public locations or on public transit; or flyers distributed through storefronts or at public events and gatherings.
(Added by Ord. 146-21, File No. 210604, App. 9/24/2021, Eff. 10/25/2021)