DEPARTMENT OF ELECTIONS JOHN ARNTZ City and County of San Francisco Director www.sfgov.org/election September 17, 2007 Dear San Francisco Voter: We at the Department of Elections are proud to provide this Voter Information Pamphlet (VIP) to assist you in mak- ing decisions for the upcoming November 6, 2007 Municipal Election. Among the materials in the VIP are state- ments submitted by the candidates who appear on the ballot describing their qualifications, short descriptions of each measure drafted by the Ballot Simplification Committee with assistance from the City Attorney's office, finan- cial analyses of the measures provided by the Controller, and arguments submitted by proponents and opponents for and against the measures. VOTING AND YOUR BALLOT As in every election, you can vote at City Hall beginning 29 days before Election Day. This year, early voting begins on October 9th. On Election Day, Tuesday, November 6th, the polls will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. We encourage you to check the back cover of this pamphlet for the correct address of your polling place. You can also find your polling place's address on the Department's Web site at www.sfgov.org/election by clicking on the “How do I find my polling place?” link. On the back cover of this pamphlet you can also find an application to receive a vote-by-mail ballot. Your ballot will consist of two ballot cards. The contests and measures are printed on the front and back sides of the cards. All voters Citywide will use the ranked-choice voting method to elect the offices of Mayor, District Attorney and Sheriff. Additionally, voters will decide on eleven local measures. LEGAL TEXT OF PROPOSED BALLOT MEASURES We are now placing the legal text of each ballot measure in the back of the VIP rather than immediately following each measure. We make this change to improve the usability of the VIP, to reduce costs and to increase our effi- ciency in readying materials for production. INFORMATION ON ACCESSIBILITY Also, on the back cover of this pamphlet, we have increased the space available to more prominently provide infor- mation about the polling places. Along with the address of your polling place, you will see information regarding the physical location of the entryway to the polling site and its level of accessibility. We also have expanded and redesigned our Web site, which is now more user-friendly and accessible. It is an excel- lent source of information and we encourage you to visit it at: www.sfgov.org/election We very much look forward to counting your vote this November, since your vote will shape San Francisco's future. Respectfully, John Arntz, Director Voice (415) 554-4375 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 48 Absentee Fax (415) 554-4372 Fax (415) 554-7344 San Francisco CA 94102-4634 TTY (415) 554-4386 2 38-CP2-EN-N07 à38-CP2-EN-N07Sä Purpose of the Voter Information Pamphlet The purpose of this pamphlet is to provide voters with information about candidates and ballot measures before each election. In addi- tion to the sample ballot, this pamphlet contains: information about the qualifications of candidates for local offices; an impartial sum- mary of each local ballot measure prepared by the City's Ballot Simplification Committee; a financial analysis of each local ballot meas- ure prepared by the City's Controller; an explanation of how each local ballot measure qualified for the ballot; arguments supporting and opposing local ballot measures and the legal text of each local ballot measure. You may bring this pamphlet with you to your polling place. In addition, every precinct is supplied with a copy of the Voter Information Pamphlet. Please ask a pollworker if you would like to see it. The Department of Elections delivers the Voter Information Pamphlets to the Post Office for delivery to individual voters. If you do not receive your pamphlet by October 22, 2007, please contact your local Post Office and the Department of Elections. This pamphlet is also available in Chinese and Spanish. Este folleto también está disponible en español. Para solicitar una copia, por favor llame al 415-554-4366. The Ballot Simplification Committee The Ballot Simplification Committee prepares an impartial summary of each local ballot measure. In addition, the Committee writes or reviews other information in this pamphlet, including the glossary of "Words You Need to Know" and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's). The Committee members have backgrounds in journalism and written communication, and they volunteer their time to prepare these informational materials for voters. The Committee members are: Betty Packard, Chair Ann Jorgensen Nominated by the Northern California Broadcasters Association Nominated by the San Francisco Unified School District Suzanne Stassevitch Ann O'Leary, Ex officio Nominated by the League of Women Voters Deputy City Attorney Dana Chisnell Jon Givner, Ex officio Nominated by the Northern California Media Workers Guild Deputy City Attorney June Fraps Nominated by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Access for Voters with Disabilities AutoMARK — Each polling place will have an accessible Additional assistance available on or before Election Day: AutoMARK ballot-marking machine. AutoMARK machines will also be available during Early Voting at City Hall. (For more information, Tape recordings of the Voter Information Pamphlet — The San see page 16.) Francisco Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, at 100 Larkin Street, produces and distributes tape-recorded copies of the Voter Voting at your polling place on Election Day — For information Information Pamphlet. Voters may request a tape-recorded copy about your polling place, including accessibility information, refer by calling Martin Magid at the San Francisco Public Library for the to the back cover of this pamphlet. If your polling place is not Blind and Print Disabled, at 415-557-4253, or may obtain a copy functionally accessible, you may call 415-554-4551 for information at any branch of the San Francisco Public Library. about the nearest accessible polling place. Curb-side voting is also available (see right column). TTY — Voters with hearing or speech impairments who have a TTY may communicate with the San Francisco Department of Voting at City Hall, on or before Election Day — All voters may Elections by calling 415-554-4386. vote in person at the Department of Elections, City Hall, at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 48, from October 9 to November Curb-side voting — If architectural barriers prevent a voter from 6. The accessible AutoMARK ballot-marking machine will be entering the polling place, pollworkers will bring the necessary available for Early Voting. Office hours are: voting materials to the voter in front of the polling place. • 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday (except holidays); Reading tools — Every polling place has large-print instructions on how to vote and magnifying sheets to enlarge the type on the ballot. • 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday, October 27-28 and November 3-4; Seated voting — Every polling place has at least one voting booth which allows voters to vote while sitting in a chair or a wheelchair. • 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 6. Voting tools — Every precinct has an easy-grip pen for signing Early voting by mail (absentee voting) — All voters may request the roster and an easy-grip special pen for marking the ballot. that a ballot be mailed to them. In addition, all voters may apply to become Permanent Vote-by-Mail Voters. Ballots for all future Assistance — Persons unable to complete their ballot may bring elections will be mailed automatically to Permanent Vote-by-Mail one or two persons with them into the voting booth to assist them, Voters. (For more information, see page 7.) or they may ask a pollworker to provide assistance. 38-CP3-EN-N07 à38-CP3-EN-N07Yä 3 Multilingual Voter Services: Voter Assistance in Chinese and Spanish Servicios Multilingües para los Electores: Asistencia para los Electores en Chino y Español In compliance with federal law and local ordinance, the Department of Elections provides services to voters and official election materials in Chinese and Spanish, in addition to English. Multilingual voter services include: • Translated election materials including: ballots, voter registration forms, voter notices, vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot applications and instructions, and Voter Information Pamphlets. • Telephone assistance in Chinese and Spanish, available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. • Telephone Assistance in Chinese: 415-554-4367 • Telephone Assistance in Spanish: 415-554-4366 • Instructional signs in English, Chinese and Spanish at all polling places on Election Day. • Chinese and Spanish bilingual pollworker assistance at designated polling places on Election Day. • Voter information in Chinese and Spanish on our Web site at www.sfgov.org/election Asistencia para los Electores en Español Conforme a la ley federal y el reglamento municipal, el Departamento de Elecciones proporciona materiales elec- torales y asistencia a los electores en español. Servicios para los electores en español incluyen: • Materiales electorales traducidos incluyendo: la boleta electoral, el formulario de inscripción para votar, avisos a los electores, solicitudes e instrucciones para votar por correo (como elector ausente) y el Folleto de Información para los Electores. • Asistencia telefónica en español disponible de lunes a viernes de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m. y en el Día de las Elecciones de 7 a.m. a 8 p.m. llamando al 415-554-4366. • Rótulos con las instrucciones en español en los lugares de votación el Día de las Elecciones.