Nearly 130,000 Early Ballots Cast in San Francisco, Outpacing the June Primary
On November 1, early voting figures released by San Francisco's elections department showed that as of Saturday, October 31, nearly 130,000 voters citywide had cast ballots, at a pace faster than the June primary; the department projects final turnout in this midterm election could reach the high 60s to low 70s percent. Elections Director John Arntz said that by the Saturday a week before the June primary, about 17% of registered voters had returned ballots, while this time the share has risen to about 24%.
The stakes on this ballot are high: voters face a governor's race, a proposed tax on billionaires and a regional transportation tax, among other measures, driving early voting interest up. Arntz encouraged voters to use official ballot drop boxes and noted that on Election Day the city will open 501 polling places, each of which also serves as a ballot drop-off point. Turnout in the June primary was 62% of registered voters, and this election's early pace is already clearly ahead of it, signaling stronger participation.
The department reminded voters who have not yet voted to confirm their polling place and ballot drop-off method in advance. Election Day is November 3; polling place hours and drop-off deadlines follow the elections department's official announcements, so voters should take care not to go to the wrong place or miss the deadline.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 旧金山市政厅（资料图）。Dllu摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / San Francisco City Hall (file photo). Photo by Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
