While turnout in the March 5 primary election was predictably low at 46.6 percent of the city’s electorate casting ballots, the money spent was rather high.
Some $11 million was poured into seven local ballot measures, two Superior Court seats, and the race for seats on the 24-member Democratic County Central Committee, which will endorse candidates and measures in November.
We calculated exactly how much each campaign spent for each of their votes — and they ranged widely. The cost per vote went as high as $18.73 for supporting Proposition E, the mayor’s measure to loosen police oversight and allow for more surveillance and vehicle chases. Prop. E won, with 54.1 percent in favor of it.
Democrats for Change, the slate attempting to oust progressives on the DCCC, won 18 seats out of 24, while Labor & Working Families, the progressive slate, took only six.
Some of those seats weren’t cheap. Marjan Philhour, on the Democrats for Change slate, came in third overall, with 24,605 votes in Assembly District 19. The cost: $10.08 per vote. In comparison, the win for John Avalos, on the AD-17 Labor &Working Families slate, was a bargain: 50 cents per vote.
You might wonder: How much did the different campaigns spend for my ballot?
We’ve created a tool for you to find out. Once you choose the assembly district that you live in, just fill in the ballot. The calculator at the top will show you the tally as you make your choices.
In addition, we have also presented the data from the interactive ballot tool in a table below, where you can sort by issue and candidate, cost per vote, total votes, total money raised, DCCC slate and race type.
The data for the amount of money raised was collected from the San Francisco Ethics Commission, including all donations of $100 or larger as of Jan. 20, 2024, and any donations above $1,000 as of March 6, 2024. It’s worth noting, however, that money raised for campaigns might not have been entirely spent.
I deeply, deeply resent the constant statement by Mission Local that my vote is for sale.
My vote is NOT for sale. You progressives might like to be told how to vote. I make up my own mind. Stop claiming I don’t. It’s insulting.
Jerry —
Your vote cost money whether it influenced you or not. Some $11 million was spent on this mid-term election — that’s a lot. Your attempt to turn a handy accounting of election costs into some manner of personal insult is baffling.
Try not to hurt yourself too badly falling off your high horse.
JE
Really cool article and tool. It’s completely gross that corporate billionaires, Big Tech and real estate flushed $11 MILLION into this past election. Sequoia Capital founder, venture capitaliist and Tech gazillionaire Sir Michael Moritz has dumped $500,000,000 into San Francisco’s recent elections in the past decade in order to control our local democracy and decision making body. That is FOUL. Vile too. I always follow the money behind candidates and ballot initiatives. The propostions on the March ballot were garbage except for Prop A.