Keep Integrity and Independence in our Elections Commission to Ensure Free and Fair Elections

THE SITUATION: After the conclusion of the Redistricting process in 2022, the unelected body of Elections Commissioners decided to pursue significant changes to the process that would completely rewrite the current redistricting rules. Their plan is to draft an amendment to the San Francisco City Charter and get it on the March 2024 ballot.

The Elections Commission's actions exceed its authority, and its proposed Charter Amendment is based on state legislation that has not yet passed. This small group of commissioners has only engaged with two out of nine 2022 San Francisco Redistricting Task Force members, making it an incomplete and non-inclusive process.

This unauthorized action to rush an incomplete, unauthorized, and potentially moot ballot measure onto the 2024 ballot, nine years before the next redistricting effort, is a clear abuse of their positions and a blatant violation of their only mandate: to ensure free and fair elections in the city of San Francisco.

Help us protect our democracy by opposing this group’s efforts to move their incomplete and unauthorized redistricting recommendations forward.

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Message to the Elections Commission, FIERCE Committee:

To the Elections Commission, FIERCE Committee and City Attorney,&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;The Elections Commission is tasked with the important job of ensuring free and fair elections in San Francisco. The Elections Commission is not a legislative body. There is nothing in the Elections Commission's mandate that gives the authority to draft a Charter Amendment, let alone one that the Elections Commission itself is prohibited from taking a position on once it is on the ballot. Moreover, bringing this to the Board of Supervisors is inappropriate because it is a clear conflict of interest. Drafting changes to our redistricting process, itself, is an abuse of  authority as Commissioners, but doing so without engaging seven of nine task force members is in direct violation of the one mandate this Commission has: ensuring free and FAIR elections.  Additionally, even if this body had the authority to draft such a measure, (it doesn’t) it would be highly irresponsible and woefully premature to do so at this time: nine years before it is necessary and prior to the outcome of the two State legislative measures (Assembly Bill 1248, Assembly Bill 764) currently being considered.  It would be negligent to presume to know now, what San Francisco demographics will look like and require in 2031.  &#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;It is clear that FIERCE lacks the authority to unilaterally make changes to our redistricting process, and that prudence and good judgment dictate that at a minimum, any changes made should be done only after the results of the two State measures are decided, and closer to 2031 when a more accurate assessment of the needs of the demographics of the City will be possible. It is also clear that with participation from only two of the redistricting task force members (RDTF) any recommendations put forth by FIERCE would be, by definition, incomplete, inequitable, unfair, and biased.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;This Commission cannot continue engaging in this unauthorized, biased, restrictive, premature, and potentially harmful behavior.  We are asking you to postpone this conversation until after the State Legislature and Governor have decided on the fate of AB1248 and AB764. &#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;Sincerely,