San Francisco is known for its long ballots, and the one that voters will see on or before Election Day on Nov. 3 is no exception. It features 10 local propositions and one regional measure, plus 14 state propositions and a slew of candidate races at all levels of government.
November 2026 San Francisco Election Guide
Nonpartisan analysis of 10 local propositions on the Nov. 3 ballot by Public Press reporters. See complete guide »
Supporters of Proposition D want to shrink future ballots by making it harder to qualify measures for elections through the initiative process by increasing the number of petition signatures required from registered voters. They say that posing fewer ballot questions will make it easier for voters to make important decisions without being overwhelmed and reduce the number of unpopular or poorly thought-out proposals they must consider.
Opponents say Proposition D is designed to quash public participation by making it more difficult and prohibitively expensive for voters without access to large sums of money to call for a local referendum.
Currently, there are four ways to include a proposition in a San Francisco election:
- by a majority vote of the Board of Supervisors
- four or more supervisors placing an item on the ballot without a board vote
- the mayor placing an item on the ballot without a board vote, or
- a petition signed by at least 2% of registered voters.
Today, that 2% adds up to about 10,600 signatures. Proposition D would increase that requirement to 8% of registered voters, or about 42,500 people.
As things stand, San Francisco voters also can call for a citywide special election — held earlier than the next regularly scheduled one — by gathering signatures equivalent to at least 10% of the votes most recently cast for mayor. Based on the 2024 mayoral election, that is about 39,000 signatures. Proposition D calls for increasing that requirement to 10% of registered voters, or about 53,100 people.
Proposition D itself got on the ballot through voter initiative. Because it would amend the City Charter, placing it on the ballot required signatures from at least 10% of registered voters.
Eliminating other paths to the ballot
Proposition D also calls for removing the ability of either the mayor or four supervisors to place an item on the ballot without a board vote.
And it would allow petition initiatives to be withdrawn before ballots are finalized. Current city law requires that the Department of Elections follow through with all valid submitted petitions that meet signature requirements.
Supporters say ‘clean up City Hall’
Proponents of Proposition D in their official ballot statement say the current system forces voters to consider measures that lack broad support, because “a minority of supervisors, just 2% of voters or the mayor acting alone, can throw anything on the ballot without public input, transparency or proven community support.”
They also point to San Francisco as an outlier, “the only city in California that allows these low thresholds — and that’s why we have the longest and most confusing ballots in the state.”
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s “Clean Up City Hall” campaign was organized to boost Propositions D, E and F, and is embracing Proposition A as a fourth pillar. The campaign is largely funded by billionaires and big tech corporate interests. Donations have reached nearly $11.4 million, according to the San Francisco Ethics Commission’s campaign dashboard. Top funders include Michael Moritz, venture capitalist and owner of The San Francisco Standard, at $2.6 million; Chris Larsen, investor and co-founder of Ripple, at $1.5 million; Lyna Lam, who is Larsen’s wife, at $1 million; and John Pritzker, investor and hospitality industry entrepreneur, at $1 million.
Opponents call it a ‘power grab’
Those opposing Proposition D say it would create obstacles for grassroots teams seeking to place measures on the ballot. The new signature threshold would increase the need to hire paid signature gatherers, which they say in their official ballot rebuttal could cost $1 million or more. “That extreme cost will price out neighborhood groups, unions and community advocates from participating in the initiative process,” they write.
Opponents include the San Francisco Labor Council, San Francisco Senior & Disability Action, United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, San Francisco Tenants Union, Indivisible SF, Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth, and San Francisco Rising Action Fund.
They note that Proposition D would give San Francisco the highest signature requirement of any county in the state and put it more than three times as high as California itself, which currently requires signatures from 2.4% of registered voters to qualify ballot initiatives.
Proposition D requires a simple majority of “yes” votes to pass.
Official Department of Elections resources for the Nov. 3 ballot:
- Full PDF voter pamphlet containing all propositions and candidates (you must navigate through the document using your browser’s search function).
- Additional materials on this proposition, including legal text, legislative digest, controller’s statement, and proponent and opponent arguments.
