Big decisions
should be made
in big elections!

Until recently, the majority of mayoral and city council races in the City of San Diego were decided in low-turnout primary elections by a fraction of voters because the election rules allowed for a candidate to win outright with a majority of the vote even if few people turned out. Conservative candidates took advantage of this, and the fact that the City spent zero dollars ($0) on voter education, to run campaigns that picked which voters to educate. At the same time, conservatives would run local ballot measures knowing that they would be decided by a limited number of voters. 

All that changed in 2016, when ASDMF worked with the Independent Voter Project to bring forward two major electoral reforms. The first was Measure K, which required a runoff election for all city races to be held in the November general election. The second was Measure L, which directed the City Council to place local citizens’ initiatives on the November ballot as well. The purpose was to move the biggest decisions on candidates and issues to the biggest election when the most people vote. In November 2016, both measures were overwhelmingly approved by city voters. As a result, the makeup of city officeholders has changed to better reflect city voters, and decisions on local ballot measures have been determined by the broader electorate. In 2018, county voters adopted a similar reform to decide candidate races, leading to the election of office holders that better reflect the diverse electorate. 

These electoral reforms were supported by social justice leaders, labor organizations, and good governance experts for good reason. Because there is little to no public voter education in the primary election regarding the matters on that ballot, few turn out as compared to the general election when there is significantly more voter education. An analysis of voter turnout shows that young voters in particular turnout in November general elections at 5 times the rate of spring primary elections. Voters of color also turn out at significantly higher rates. Overall, turnout in primary elections over the last 30 years has rarely reached 50 percent, as compared to in general elections when turnout always crosses that mark. 

It’s now 2024, eight years after the passage of Measures K & L, and over 80 percent of voters are anticipated to turn out in the November election. They will decide candidates and issues up and down the ballot and will make their voices heard. ASDMF was proud to be a part of election reform that made that possible!