Posted on 11/06/2007 4:46:15 PM PST by SmithL
Voters in San Francisco on Tuesday had the uninspiring civic duty of casting ballots in a mayoral election whose outcome was considered inevitable yet may not be confirmed for weeks.
With 17 challengers, but only nominal opposition in his re-election race, Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to easily win a second term after running a comparatively inconspicuous campaign, according to political analysts.
The last time a San Francisco mayor was positioned for such an easy victory was 1983, when Dianne Feinstein ran without a serious opponent. She is now California's senior U.S. senator.
Because of concerns about the reliability of the city's voting machines, though, elections officials say they would have to hand-inspect every ballot, a procedure that could keep them counting — and Newsom from declaring victory — until the end of the week.
The only results the Department of Elections planned to report after the polls close at 8 p.m. PST were from absentee ballots received before Tuesday. The Newsom camp, which has scheduled an Election Night reception that the mayor's campaign staff refrained from calling a victory party, was preparing to make it an early night.
Eric Jaye, the mayor's chief campaign strategist, said that in all likelihood Newsom's remarks to his supporters would be brief: "It's looking good, were very optimistic, thanks for coming."
Along with the equipment snafu, another possible delaying factor was the introduction to the mayor's race this year of ranked choice voting, which allows voters to list their top three preferences for local offices.
As candidates with the fewest votes are knocked out of contention, the No. 2 and No. 3 picks on the ballots they secured are redistributed among the rest until someone emerges with a majority.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Quintin Mecke, a community activist making his first bid for elective office, was considered the mayor's leading opponent after having secured endorsements from several elected officials and political clubs that think Newsom, a Democrat, is too conservative.
San Francisco Values.
Who’s the father?
*snicker*
I’m sure Newsom’s people will be busy tossing the machines into the bay like they did last time.
Go, Chicken John, go!
Well, he is a heterosexual after all, a fact which surprised me.
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