Ranked-Choice Voting Could Spell ‘Serious Trouble’ For San Francisco Maryor’s Reelection

San Francisco Mayor London Breed may face hurdles to getting reelected because of ranked-choice voting, according to a Thursday poll by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The city’s ranked-choice voting mechanism often leads to the secondary or tertiary preference of numerous voters playing a crucial role in determining the election result, according to the Chronicle. Around 40% of the city’s electorate has not decided who they will vote for, but former mayor and supervisor Mark Farrell would garner the highest support in the initial round of ranked-choice voting as 20% of likely voters express they would rank him as their top option or were inclined toward doing so, according to the poll.

“Obviously, with the number of undecided voters that we have, you don’t want to draw too firm of a conclusion,” Jonathan Brown, the Sextant Strategies president who spearheaded the Chronicle poll. “But … if this is the field of major candidates right now, it certainly looks like Breed is in very, very serious trouble.”

Breed garnered fewer second-choice votes compared to Farrell and philanthropist and Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie, according to the poll. Furthermore, over one-third of likely voters expressed their intention to rank Breed as their lowest choice behind three other leading candidates, according to the poll.

The survey included 812 likely voters and was conducted February 14-18, according to the Chronicle. It found 71% of these voters do not approve of how Breed has run the city.

“Mayor Breed continues to boldly lead the city’s recovery, with a laser focus on economic revitalization and public safety,” Breed’s reelection campaign political consultant Maggie Muir told the Chronicle. “The election that Mayor Breed is focused on right now is in two weeks when voters go to the polls for her proposed ballot measures to make the city safer, support our neighborhoods, and bring more investment and housing Downtown.”

Around 40% of the city’s electorate has not decided who they will vote for, but Farrell would garner the highest support in the initial round of ranked-choice voting as 20% of likely voters express they would rank him as their top option or were inclined toward doing so, according to the poll. Breed would secure the second position with 18%, trailed by Lurie with 16% and supervisor Ahsha Safaí at 8%, according to the poll.

Breed, a Democrat, advocated for defunding the police in 2020 following the Black Lives Matter protests that opposed law enforcement agencies, and reduced the police and sheriff departments’ budgets by $120 million. However, she has backtracked on signature crime policies as Safai and Lurie entered the mayoral race as moderates, according to Politico.

The general election will take place on Nov. 5.

Breed’s campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.