Live updates from San Francisco November races

Imagine a political campaign is like a ski ramp, with candidates gaining momentum before soaring off into the unknown. 

If so, that would render Mark Farrell the Vinko Bogataj of the 2024 San Francisco mayoral campaign. You probably don’t know this name, but you probably do know who this is: He’s the Yugoslavian skier whose horrifying ski-jump-gone-wrong for many years defined “the agony of defeat” in the intro for “ABC Wide World of Sports.”

News broke yesterday — yes, the day before Election Day — that Farrell had agreed to pay the largest campaign finance-related fine in city history — some $108,000. At issue was his commingling of funds between a ballot measure committee and his mayoral committee so as to elude the $500 donation limit to the latter. 

This is less-than-ideal timing for Farrell — but also less-than-coincidental: “The Enforcement Division did everything in its power to publicly resolve this case prior to Election Day so the public would have information about these violations when it matters most,” said Ethics Commission enforcement director Olabisi Matthews. 

Ethics enforcement actions often take place years after the fact. This one was hustled into fruition with remarkable expediency. 

But, for Farrell, it could’ve definitely been worse. He reached his settlement with Ethics on Oct. 25. But it wasn’t until Nov. 4 that the news went (very) public. By that time, more than half of San Francisco’s electorate may have already voted. And, importantly, some of the neighborhoods most likely to go for Farrell — among them District 7 and Farrell’s own District 2 — are overrepresented in early returns.

San Francisco elections are nerve-wracking, and today’s is more so than most — yes, there’s a concurrent federal election of some import. But when the initial round of votes drops tonight on or around 8:45 p.m., it’s important for emotionally frazzled denizens to keep in mind what we know and what we don’t know. 

Department of Elections head John Arntz tells me that ballots received up until Sunday will be tabulated in the first drop. That’s just shy of 190,000 ballots — which is about 36 percent of registered city voters. There are probably as many or more votes to be counted starting later this week as all the votes to be tabulated on Tuesday. 

The votes already in the can for tonight’s 8:45 p.m. reveal make up a mere down-payment of what’s to come and will not be representative of the total electorate. We’re telling you this now. 

Regardless, the results of the early vote drops often befuddle voters. They are likely to be even more befuddled when the Department of Elections runs ranked-choice voting (RCV) tabulations on 36-odd percent of the ballots, which it will do at 8:45ish tonight. 

When asked what the utility is of running ranked-choice voting with some two-thirds of the ballots outstanding, Arntz replied that this “was much requested by RCV advocates.” This is not surprising: RCV advocates love RCV with a monomaniacal zeal; if they were drowning on a sinking raft and a rescue ship approached, the RCV advocates would hold out that, what they really need in this situation, is ranked-choice voting. 

As for the rest of us, it’s not clear what benefit there is to crunching the numbers and running ranked-choice voting tabulations at a highly preliminary point in voting returns. It adds a sense of finality to vote totals that are markedly incomplete; in the 2019 district attorney election, for example, the early RCV resulted in a runoff between Suzy Loftus and Nancy Tung, with Loftus being the winner.

This is a long, long way from how things turned out; Tung finished far out of the running and Chesa Boudin pipped Loftus at the RCV post. 

Running RCV with many or even most of the votes unaccounted for results in unfounded elation or dejection — the misplaced thrill of victory or the unwarranted agony of defeat, you could say. But here’s the thing: Voters can cheer or boo at the changing results, but the outcome is already sealed. The votes are in, and all that remains is the counting. We can root for Vinko Bogataj to stick a perfect jump every time we see the old tape, but the outcome has already occurred — and is immutable.  

There will be four updates today from the Department of Elections. The final update, which will come at perhaps around midnight, will include results from in-person voters at polling places. 

The Department of Elections will run two RCV tabulations today: First on the initial tranche at 8:45 p.m. and then on the fourth batch — which includes all Election Day voters. Further updates will come every day at 4 p.m. starting Thursday.

The Times They Are A-Changin’

Polls can give us some idea of what may unfold tonight. But there has never been an electorate this large in a San Francisco mayoral race, so it remains to be seen how closely real behavior tracks with predicted behavior. 

And we’re going to have to wait to see this: With the ascent of universal voting by mail, predicting the flow of San Francisco elections has become much more erratic and difficult. It is, however, generally accepted that very early voters skew more conservative — which means a good early showing by Farrell is all the more critical for him. Being hit with a record ethics fine is a bad valediction for any campaign, so it’s all the more vital for Farrell to have done well with early voters who didn’t know about this before casting their ballots — especially when they figure to be his core voters. 

After tonight’s first drop, things become more complicated. In the olden days, you’d have early absentee voters, who skewed more conservative, day-of-election voters, who skewed more liberal, and late absentee voters who were somewhere in-between. Predicting how votes would shift through the hours and days was, if not a science, something of an alchemy.

This is no longer the case. Voting patterns are just not nearly as easy to track — and even if later voters figure to be less conservative than the very earliest voters, it’s difficult to gauge by how much. As the vote comes in, we can track where in the city these ballots hailed from. But with fewer and fewer San Franciscans voting on Election Day on a machine, it’s much harder to know what parts of the city have yet to have their votes tabulated. 

The Department of Elections will, slowly but surely, count all the votes. The only way out is through. 

— Joe Eskenazi 

If you could harness the energy from the backs being slapped at this year’s John’s Grill Election Day luncheon, the city could be powered for 20 years. 

Depending on the outcome of the federal election, such an enterprise may become a necessity. The stakes, as they say, could not be higher: The winner will either be San Francisco’s hometown girl or the reality TV jester-king who knows that performative cruelty to the real and imagined San Francisco is a virtual applause button for his base. 

There was a vast table full of free drinks to be had at this year’s election luncheon. Not one but two liquor companies had tents and were offering belts of their branded booze. Good: It was necessary. 

But, truth be told, the mood was far from somber. On the inside, everyone may have felt a bit like an overripe peach in a blender. On the outside it was all smiles — exhausted smiles — and the unmistakable wandering eye of the person shaking your hand glancing over your shoulder at the next person to greet. Perhaps somebody knew something. Perhaps somebody had talked to somebody who’s the great pal and former golfing buddy of the King of Pennsylvania Politics — and he said Don’t you worry about a thing. Because every little thing is gonna be alright. 

Everybody, it seemed, was looking for someone who could say that. 

John’s Grill today was a liminal place: Hundreds if not thousands of San Franciscans from all walks of life — elected officials, captains of industry, men in wheelchairs scooting themselves along with their legs — were enjoying a moment divorced from time. In the coming days and weeks there will be great anxiety leading to great relief or great sorrow. But, today, it was time to amp up several megawatts worth of backslaps and dig into vast trays of hearty food of the sort you’d expect at a wake or a wedding. It’s not certain which this will turn out to be. 

For those attempting to discern the national mood via official greeter Willie L. Brown, Jr.’s attire — not unlike papal-watchers eyeing the smoke emanating from the Holy See — it was a perplexing day. Da Mayor’s suit coat and fedora were neither blue nor red. Rather, they were … magenta? Rose? Salmon? When asked, Brown himself said he didn’t know what color his coat and hat were. But he confirmed he had no desire to be red or blue today but pink — like his unambiguously pink suspenders. 

That got a big laugh. Then Da Mayor turned to a former foot soldier in his political army, Zula Jones, who was wearing a scarlet outfit that could be seen from space. Jones in 2019 took a plea deal after allegedly attempting to solicit bribes from an undercover federal agent, purportedly telling the officer that this is San Francisco “and you have to pay to play here.” 

Well, that’s the city for you. You may have to pay to play here but you didn’t have to pay to eat. Or drink. Or commingle the two while attempting to run for office or dodging an office-seeker. The line to gain entry stretched down Ellis and around the corner to Powell, where it absolutely dwarfed the queue for the cable car. And little wonder. There’s no free booze or food on the cable car, and you’re not going to find the paterfamilias of the City Family reveling over the scene in attire that could perhaps be best described as off-Pepto.

A steady supply of aspirational elected officials made their way through the throngs in the one place in the city where there was not a goddamn vote to be had. Several stared at their interlocuters blankly when confronted with a query approximating karaoke-night drunken serenaders shout-singing Piano Man by Billy Joel: “Man, what are you doing here?”

Some had their excuses: Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin sprinted along the barricade, high-fiving the crowd like Steve Kerr at the Warriors victory parade en route to oversee today’s Board of Supervisors meeting. District 1 hopeful Marjan Philhour said she couldn’t skip the event as the restaurant’s proprietor is a longtime friend — and she multitasked the downtown trip into a photo-op dropping off her ballot at City Hall. 

Would-be Board of Education commissioner Supriya Ray worked the line — but, of course, everyone here had voted already. There are very few San Francisco voters up for grabs at this late hour and in-person voting in this city, like afternoon newspapers, is essentially a thing of the past. Perhaps the only man in the vicinity who hadn’t voted yet was Board of Appeals member J.R. Eppler. And he assured me that he already had his mind made up; he’s just waiting to pick up his kid after school so they can vote together. 

Ray, however, took solace in finding Brixton, a golden retriever outfitted in patriotic attire. The candidate was identifiable by two young staffers carrying her campaign signs. Brixton, meanwhile, has his own Instagram page.

But, no: Despite what the possible next president of the United States may tell you, in San Francisco, only human beings can vote. 

— Joe Eskenazi

District 3 candidates Moe Jamil and Matt Susk campaigned together for three hours this morning — and both believe they have a strong enough coalition to beat another leading candidate, Danny Sauter.

Tonight, the first drop of votes comes in at 8:45 p.m. and Susk offered his take on what he hopes to see: “If we are 20 percent of whatever the count is,” we are in good shape, said Susk, who holds one of the most tough-on-crime views among all District 3 candidates.

And as long Sauter is less than 35 percent, ”his prospect doesn’t look good, because I don’t know how many second and third-place votes he’ll have,” added Susk. 

Jamil agreed that their alliance against Sauter had been effective. “I think Sharon [Lai], myself and Matt have, particularly for the last several weeks, come together well,” said Jamil. “I think the citizens of District 3 will benefit from this unity.”

Jamil said when the first results come in at 8:45 p.m. if he has three to five thousand votes, he will be in good shape. District 3 has just over 40,000 votes.

Jamil’s prediction for the final result? Sauter first, Lai second, Jamil third and Susk fourth.

And once Susk is eliminated in ranked-choice voting, Jamil thinks he will win. 

Let’s see what Sauter says.

I found District 3 candidate Danny Sauter in Chinatown.

Sauter said he wants to “finish with a good margin of first-place votes.” 

“Sharon’s getting traction with progressives, Moe’s getting traction with conservatives,” he said. 

In a way, the alliance his competitors have formed means they perceive him as the biggest threat. But it doesn’t feel good to be the one being attacked, said Sauter, who spoke as he communicated easily with Chinatown grannies in Cantonese.

“Very handsome,” a granny said in response. “You look younger in person,” said another.

— Yujie Zhou

Aaron Peskin and Sharon Lai were also in Chinatown, leading a parade of supporters. They’re chanting something along the lines of “Sharon Lai: Can’t Go Wrong!” and “Peskin! Victory is Assured! You can rest easy with them in office!” said Anthony Ching Ho Leung.

“One chant is for me and one chant is for her,” says Peskin. “I think mine says I have a good heart.”

“We don’t have to pay people,” added Peskin.

The parade stops at Jackson and Peskin races across the street and disappears into Sandy’s Lucky Bamboo and Florist. “I had to invite Sandy to my election party!” he says, when he re-emerges.

Along the way, Peskin and Lai pass out campaign literature. Tonal languages are not his strong suit, he says, but Peskin has a small repertoire of Cantonese phrases that he’s built up over the years — now he knows Cantonese for both “mayor” and “supervisor.”

Lai reports getting a lot of classic granny talk, including “That pretty girl on the flier? Is that really you?” and “You look so much fatter on your billboards!” 

Lai has lost a little weight since the photos were taken, she says. Less because of the stress of campaigning and more because the campaign trail involves a lot of walking. “The best exercise routine you can have,” she says, “is working on a campaign.” 

Lai quit her job in June to focus on her campaign full-time — before this, she did climate work for the World Economic Forum and before that she worked in city planning and housing development, including tiny houses for homeless San Franciscans.

“How do you manage to do this in heels?” Lai asks Jane Kim, the former District 6 supervisor, who has joined the march. Kim is wearing an immaculate hot pink suit and heels. Lai is wearing white sneakers and a red blazer over a T-shirt printed with the face of a teenage Kamala Harris. Peskin is dressed in a sharp blue suit.

“Old habit from the school board,” says Kim. “If I didn’t wear heels people thought I was a student.”

The march reaches Columbus Avenue and Peskin dashes into KO Dry Cleaners to invite the proprietor to his party tonight at Bimbo’s. “She has tailored so many of my suits!” exclaims Kim, running in after him. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been in for so long!” The pandemic was a hard time for fashion, she says.

Peskin’s next stop will be Willie Brown’s electoral luncheon. “It’s a human rights violation,” he says, declining to elaborate further. A few more selfies with supporters and he’s off.

— H.R. Smith

Excitement at Garfield Pool, and Latinos for Trump

A constant wave of voters cast their ballots at Garfield pool this morning in excitement and anxiety ahead of the election results.

One of those voters, Sarah Thomson, returned from Mexico City last night just in time for Election Day. “I feel great about it,” said Thompon. “The very least we can do is vote.”

Thompson visited the city for Día de los Muertos in the Mexican capital, an experience she described as unforgettable.

Ahead of tonight’s results, Thompson said she would like to see unity and more services to those in need in District 9 regardless of the results.

As they exited the polls, another pair of voters took a photo in front of the election banner. The Latino father and son said they support former president Donald Trump in his bid back to the White House.

“It comes down to abortion and the LGBTQ+ agenda that is being pushed to the children,” said the pair, who chose not to be named for fear of backlash.

When asked if they are affected by Trump’s attacks against the Latino population, the two said they do not believe the insults are targeting the whole Latino population, only those who are doing bad things.

Poll workers at the building said people coming in seem energized, and that the number of voters appears to be greater than in previous elections.

“It’s been a constant flow all morning,” said Colombe Chappey, a native of France who applied for citizenship the day after Trump won in 2020.

A lover of politics, Chappey said it is exciting to be part of this democratic process, and in past years, she has worked in four previous elections.

“This is my contribution to this country,” said Chappey.

— Oscar Palma

Teachers get up to rally for union-endorsed SFUSD candidates 

Members of the teachers’ union rallied support for the union-endorsed school board candidates at Castro and Market this morning.

Jodie Sheffels, a sixth-grade math and science teacher at the Bessie Carmichael PreK-8 school in SoMa, was there at 6:45 a.m.

One of the union’s priorities this election is keeping progressive incumbent Matt Alexander on the board, Sheffels said. She called Alexander a “strong ally to educators and students” for his work on the 2022 Student Success measure to provide the district with annual funding toward students’ academic achievement and well-being, which voters passed. 

More recently, Sheffels said, Alexander pushed to scrap the superintendent’s school closure plan.

The union has also endorsed Parag Gupta, Jaime Huling and John Jersin.

Sheffels said that people are hoping for stability in SFUSD schools moving forward, and for creative solutions to balancing the budget — “not on the backs of students and families.”

This is Sheffels’ sixth year as a teacher. Once the rally was over, she planned to head back to Bessie Carmichael to teach a full day of classes. 

— Anne Li

“Cautiously optimistic!” That’s how District 5 candidate Dean Preston is feeling as he and his team speak to voters in the Tenderloin today.

“I voted at 7:30 a.m. this morning and visited every neighborhood in the district after that. I’m feeling good. It’s all adrenaline carrying us through till 8 p.m. tonight.” 

Preston was greeting many supporters who eagerly shouted “Hi Dean!” when they recognized him on the corner of Turk and Hyde.

He’s on his way to the Board of Supervisors meeting this afternoon — “It’s Tuesday, after all,” he said, of the regular 2 p.m. meeting. 

Preston has lived in District 5 for 28 years and feels a strong connection to its many neighborhoods. “All of my opponents just moved here, but I’ve been here for a long time, working with many neighbors.” He feels encouraged by the reaction he gets when he’s out on streets and knocking on doors. 

 “I ran a values-based campaign and people connect with that when I talk to them in person. Even when we disagree, they know where I stand and where I’m coming from. But online it’s different. GrowSF funded a million-dollar smear campaign against me. It’s all digital. Check YouTube and you’ll see the ads. In person when I interact with people I feel confident, but no one knows the impact that the digital smear campaign will have.”

— Julia Gitis

Even on Election Day, Ocean Beach is sleepy. Poll workers at the United Irish Cultural Center had collected just over 30 ballots. They shrugged when asked to describe the mood: “Calm,” they concluded.

Diana and Gandhia, residents of Ingleside and Park Merced, celebrated casting their ballots at Java Beach café. They were particularly passionate about the local propositions.

Prop. K, Diana said, had caused needless drama that distracted from real issues downtown. 

And, while it “breaks my heart” to vote against a school bond, Gandhia said, she felt she had to do it after seeing how funds were mismanaged.

Puppy break: King Charles spaniels Carla Jean and Odin have been “bringing joy to lots of voters today,” their owners said at the No. 57 bus stop near Lake Merced.

San Francisco State University’s polling station overflowed with students — every designated voting booth was full and a line ran through the student annex. Students began taking their ballots to far corners of the large room, filling them out cross-legged on the floor or leaning on the large stage. 

Many said they were nervous — they were voting for the first time and found the system confusing. Several had just moved to San Francisco for school, and were figuring out how to register or send in their absentee ballots.

Outside the polling station, two first-time voters said they hoped Americans would “give Kamala a chance.” Donald Trump already had a turn in office, one said, and that led to people “storming the capitol.”

There have certainly been some “characters” at the polling station at Jefferson Elementary School, said Musa, who became a poll worker four elections ago “to give something back.”. One man came wearing a trash bag over sleeves with Stars and Stripes. Under the trash bag, Musa said he later learned, was a Trump shirt.

Some people are just very “patriotic” Musa said, describing the mood that morning as “positive” regardless of political affiliation. 

“A lot of people will thank you for doing this,” said Allen Brignetti, a retiree who is working the polls for the ninth time. “That makes my day.”

He estimated that over 60 people had voted at Fire Station 22 as of 10 a.m.

There has been a “maddening amount” of campaign mailers, a mailman in District 7 said.

He’s delivered as many as 3,000 campaign ads a day. His coworkers who have worked for the postal service for over two decades, he said, think this year has been the “craziest yet.”

— Abigail Vân Neely

We’re going to take a walk back in time with Julia Gitis in District 5.

11:45 a.m. Bilal Mahmood’s campaign headquarters in the Fillmore are pretty empty today, with all staff and volunteers focused on literature drops and last-minute voter outreach.

Jessica Gutierrez Garcia, Mahmood’s political director, says Mahmood was walking Fillmore Street in the morning canvassing with Mayor Breed. “He’s been talking to voters, and now he’s dropping lit at doors,” says Gutierrez Garcia.

As campaign staff and volunteers are coming in and out to pick up more literature, both the excitement and the exhaustion are palpable.

11:30 a.m. It’s a beautiful day in Alamo Square. Poll workers at a garage on the square are feeling “a lot of good energy,” says poll inspector Adrian. “Usually we have two or three poll workers and today we have four, which is great.” 

At their location, they’ve had 35 people vote in person and around 130 drop off ballots already.

A popular tourist attraction, Alamo Square’s polling locations are attracting visitors wondering what’s up with the stickers. “Tourists are curious and are asking us questions,” says Adrian. “We just had a group from Norway stop by. They were curious.”

10:44 a.m. Poll workers at a homeowner’s garage on Page and Baker have been here since 6 a.m. with a steady crowd coming in. “We’ve got caffeine and we’re okay,” says Claire, a dedicated poll worker. They estimate around 20 people have voted in person and at least 100 have dropped off their ballots.

What’s the most fun part of being a poll worker? “The dogs are the highlights. Some of the dogs get I Voted stickers too.”

10:21 a.m. Christin Evans, campaign volunteer for Dean Preston, says they’ve been organizing get-out-the-vote efforts since Saturday. Looking at a map, Evans says, “If the Department of Elections has indicated that they haven’t turned in their ballot yet, we send people out.”

Jen Snyder, campaign strategist, says Preston is out and about throughout the district. “He’s riding the bus and talking to voters.” The “Dean Team” is coordinating with Aaron Peskin’s office and supporting Peskin for mayor, with volunteers holding signs for both candidates.

10:11 a.m. Poll inspector Chris Kelly at the Urban School says they’ve already had 18 people vote in person and around 50 drop off their ballots.

Looking ahead to a long day sitting at the polls, the poll workers say what keeps their energy up is handing out stickers and applauding for first-time voters. They had one first-time voter who just turned 18 today. The clerks laughed, “She did not want her mom taking photos of her first time voting.”

— Julia Gitis

District 3 candidate Sharon Lai’s volunteers prepare for an 11 a.m march in Chinatown

At least two dozen Cantonese-speaking grandmas organized by the Community Tenants Association gathered in front of Sharon Lai’s District 3 campaign headquarters on Tuesday morning, to receive Lai’s signs. A few Aaron Peskin signs were also in the crowd.

Lai, who had just returned from an early morning visit on Polk Street, was welcomed by the grandmas’ warm greetings. 

“Everyone is a little emotional today,” said Lai, who said a woman prayed for her in Burmese this morning. 

As for the election result, Lai expects “a significant percentage of votes to transfer” to her, said the candidate who recently formed an alliance with Moe Jamil.

One block away, Lai volunteer Lulu was hard to miss — she dressed exactly like her candidate. “I’m a total, total supporter. She represents the best going on in San Francisco’s Democratic Party right now,” said Lulu.

— Yujie Zhou

10 a.m. In the Excelsior, Ernest “EJ” Jones campaigns alongside D10 Supervisor Shamann Walton — Michael Lai greets voters with Catherine Stefani and DA Brooke Jenkins

At around 10 a.m., District 11 candidate Ernest “EJ” Jones, carrying a yellow tote of his voter guides in one hand and his signs in the other, met up with District 10 supervisor Shamann Walton in front the Excelsior Branch Library.

The two quickly moved to stand in front of the Excelsior Coffee at 4495 Mission St., where Lea Sabado, Jones’ supporter and the coffee shop’s owner, handed him a small cup of espresso.

“Just the pick-me-up I need,” Jones said with a smile.

About 10 minutes earlier, Michael Lai, another District 11 supervisorial hopeful, was standing at the corner of Geneva Avenue and Mission Street, campaigning alongside District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who is seeking re-election, and District 2 supervisor Catherine Stefani, who is running for State Assembly.

As I arrived at the corner, Jenkins and Stefani were leaving. But Lai — who is facing a much closer race and more pressure than the two — stuck around, handing out flyers and holding his red signs.

Lai said that last night, someone had taken down his rows of signs on the wall of Bravo Pizza where he stood to greet customers. 

— Xueer Lu 

Proud father walks supervisorial hopeful son to the polling station

Jorge Bermudez walked down 26th Street this morning to the polling station, next to his 28 year-old son and District 9 candidate Julian Bermudez.

Voting together is a tradition for the father and his son. This time, however, his son’s candidacy made the walk special.  

Coffee cup in hand, Julian Bermudez said the caffeine was necessary, as sleep was hard to come last night.

“I felt a little anxious last night so I decided to go for a drive,” said Bermudez, adding that he made a stop at Jack in the Box on Bayshore Boulevard for a chicken sandwich.

As the two approached the polling station, Bermudez’s father encouraged his son to feel proud of everything he had accomplished in this race.

“He’s building something here. Even if he doesn’t win this seat, he’s opening a door for future generations of first-generation immigrant kids,” said Jorge Bermudez. “For that, I’m so proud of him”

— Oscar Palma 

Early exit polling from young pollsters

Outside Cafe International on Haight Street, four students from San Francisco School House are running their very own exit poll.

“So far, Harris is going to win in a landslide,” joked their teacher Ben Yurman-Glaser.

Their sample size is around a dozen people. Later, the students will compare their collected data to the precinct-level results.

— Kelly Waldron 

At around 9 a.m., District supervisor candidate Adlah Chisti’s headquarters at 4760 Mission St. was quiet. Jeremy Cursi, her campaign manager was the only one sitting in the dimly lit room waiting for voters to drop in.

“I wear many hats. I’m the campaigner manager, dispatcher, and sometimes chauffeur,” said Cursi, looking tired while sipping coffee. “But I’m more than happy to do so.”

Chisti’s signs and printed news articles about the District 11 race were spread out across the table. Cursi said Chisti was out checking in on her daughter and father before starting out a day of campaigning.

A few doors down south at 4802 Mission St., Vanessa Pimentel, the campaign manager for District 11 candidate Ernest “EJ” Jones, was helping volunteers get signs.

“I’m very excited for today because you can see the end of it,” said Pimentel, beaming with a smile on their face. On the last day of campaigning, Pimentel is multitasking: They are working the campaign, but also writing up a thesis paper to complete a graduate school program in urban and public affairs at the University of San Francisco.

Sharon Liu-Bettencourt, Michael Lai’s campaign manager, at campaign headquarters at 4735 Mission St., agreed. She was there to join Lai at the corner of Mission Street and Geneva Avenue.

This is Liu-Bettencourt’s first campaign, and she said at this point in the race, she just wishes to finish off the day and finally be able to go home.

— Xueer Lu

This morning, residents of the Lower Haight cast their ballots as they drank their morning coffee at Cafe International. Zahra Saleh, who owns the cafe on Haight Street, has accommodated a polling station at the cafe for over 20 years. Cafe regulars (including myself) sat outside on the back patio, leaving room for the polling workers and tables.

“Civic duty,” she said, putting slices of carrot cake onto a glass dish, wearing a green beanie with an “I voted” sticker.

“It’s bad for business,” she said. “But good for the community.”

— Kelly Waldron

District 9 candidate Stephen Torres worked until 11:30 p.m. last night at Twin Peaks Tavern in the Castro, where he bartends. Six or so hours later, the supervisorial hopeful was up and running with one single goal in mind: Reaching as many undecided voters as possible on Election Day.

But first things first. Torres, as is his tradition, voted in person at a polling station at the intersection of 29th and Tiffany streets. The candidate spent about 15 minutes voting while his campaign manager waited outside with a steamy cup of coffee.

“I feel really excited this morning. I am really proud of the campaign we’ve been running so far,” said Torres. His message, he said, “has resonated with so many, and that makes me happy.”

There was, however, lots to do.

“I’m gonna be running from one place to the next,” said Torres. “All day long trying to talk to as many people as possible.”

As Torres left the station, Maureen McKeown, a poll worker, waved goodbye and thanked him for voting.

McKeown, who has worked in two previous elections, said she had already seen a lot of energy in voters.

“It’s really interesting. People seem very motivated in this election,” said McKeown, who finished by describing San Francisco voters as “very chill.”

— Oscar Palma

Myrna Melgar, the incumbent District 7 supervisor, stood at the intersection of Irving Street and 9th Avenue around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, holding signs for her re-election and “Yes on K” campaign.

Just across the street, there was a sign of Melgar’s opponent Matt Boschetto in the second-floor living room window of someone’s home. The N-Judah train passing by, and filled with commuters, means high visibility — exactly what campaigns look for on Election Day.

“I’m gonna vote for you,” a woman told Melgar, before she started asking her how the Stonestown project is going.

“I’m spending most of my time where I have a big base of support,” said Melgar wearing her lucky golden sneakers and blue eyeliner. That is the Inner Sunset, Golden Gate Heights, and areas around San Francisco State University.

“I don’t want to get in a big fight with people. I don’t want to get into anyone’s face,” she added. Later in the day, she will join Mayor London Breed at West Portal Station, where there’s a more moderate electorate.

“I feel good,” the incumbent said. “If I don’t get elected, it will be over the right things.”

— Junyao Yang

At the busy intersection of Park Presidio and Fulton, campaigners from different camps held up signs as buses and rush hour traffic whizzed by. There was also a man in a cloak holding up a cross.

Those holding No on Prop. K and Mark Farrell signs only spoke Chinese

J’Anthony Menjivar, a member of NorCal Carpenters Union campaigning for London Breed, said the morning was less about talking to voters and more about trying to get any visibility possible in the final hours.

The flow of voters has been nonstop since 7 a.m. at the San Francisco County Fair building in Golden Gate Park. Despite early-morning technical difficulties — poll workers said they arrived to find the building closed and had to do an emergency set-up — by 9 a.m. first-time poll inspector DeAnne Campbell estimated there had almost been 50 voters.

High-schoolers Isa and Kaylee collected ballots while another poll-worker helped a man in a wheelchair through the voting process.

Campbell flitted around the polling station, making sure everything was secure and running smoothly. Though she said she was “all kinds of nervous,” veteran poll workers said she was doing a great job.

“Now we wait,” a family said after their young daughter dropped off her mom’s ballot and collected a sticker.

Meanwhile, a block away, District 7 supervisor Myrna Melgar joined forces with college board president Alan Wong on 9th and Irving. A teacher stopped by on his bike, asking Melgar if it was true that someone was running against her. Her opponent, she said, was a billionaire. “You’re the more progressive candidate, right?” He asked, adding that he always voted for progressives.

Wong chimed in that he was also endorsed by the school board.

— Abigail Van Neely

Aaron Peskin did not swim in the bay this morning, but reports that he saw the greatest sunrise of his life. He pulls out his cellphone to show people.

“Pink for Kamala” one of the volunteers says excitedly.

There are not many commuters out. A lot of people are saying “I already voted” and quite a few “I already voted for YOU.” A few ask for selfies.

“Good morning! Buenos Días! Have you voted yet? I’m Aaron I’m running for mayor! Arron por alcalde!” Peskin says — Aaron for mayor.

Another volunteer Sarah Souza encourages him to switch it up.

“Yo soy Arron,” she says to him. “Necesito su apoyo.” I need your support.

One guy stops and says “Is there a polling place near here?

There is indeed. “474 Valencia!” says another volunteer.

“Oh, my God, I thought you were a lot larger” says a man wheeling his bicycle out of the station. He says he’s voting for “the other guy. But he’s probably not going to win. He’s not very involved. He’s not returning my phone calls.”

“Vote for me number two!” says Peskin cheerfully.

“I’m not gonna vote two, I’m just gonna vote one time, dude. But he’s probably not going to win. It’s Farrell.”

“Oh yeah,” says Peskin. “That guy is definitely not going to win.”

“Listen,” says Souza. “This is the only guy endorsed by the working people.” The two murmur for a while. “Alright,” says the bicycle guy, “voting for you number two.”

— H.R. Smith

I’m always out earliest on Election Day, but not in 2024. As I approached the 16th Street Plaza, there was mayoral candidate Aaron Peskin and Mission Local reporter H.R. Smith. Such a pleasure to see. It will be a long day for both, but Peskin said he is feeling good and Smith is there to document his moods over what promises to be a mayoral count of several days. Prop. M advocates were out as well.

If you’re wondering where your polling station is, check this Voter Portal. 

And, you can always go to City Hall to register to vote, to vote and to drop off your ballot.

Anxious about the election and need some comic relief? Check out the best and worst San Francisco campaign ads from 2024. That pre-election blog has a lot of great content including a map of where the candidates spent their last weekend.

And if you are wondering how much was spent on Chinese media to get that coveted Chinese-American vote, take a look at this story

— Lydia Chavez