San Franciscans, a lot of you haven’t voted yet, and the data shows it (opens in new tab). 

There are roughly 70,000 ballots in the hands of the city’s Department of Elections right now, with turnout hovering at about 13%. That’s low, even for a primary. 

Your hesitation is understandable. There’s a confusing, clown car’s worth of Democrats running in the gubernatorial snoozer, and sussing out who should succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s nearly four decades in Congress is a daunting task for any voter (even if it’s just Round One before the general election). 

Fret not, we’re here to help.

Instead of writing our own voter’s guide, however, we thought we’d try something a little different: welcome to The Standard’s Unofficial Guide to a Bunch of Other SF Voter Guides, wherein we help you make sense of which voter guide or endorsement list may best suit your particular political sensibilities. Think of it as a political matchmaking service: work out where you fall on the political spectrum, and we’ll point you to the voter guide that speaks your language and will, literally, tick your box(es).

Whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool progressive, an abundance-bro or a “sensible centrist,” we’ve got links to voter guides to meet your needs. Our bar for including a guide or an endorsement list is simple — the writer needs to explain their reasoning (the SF Labor Council, for instance (opens in new tab), doesn’t go into its rationale). We also preferred guides focusing on local races. The list is by no means comprehensive, but we tried to hit the mainstays.

And while we poked a little fun at the categories we slotted these guides into, the truth is that few voters fit into such neat ideological boxes. With nearly two dozen guides in total, one thing is clear at least: San Francisco is bonkers-level serious about local politics.

Do you roll out of bed every morning and shout, “Let’s go, San Francisco!” Do Lurie’s dulcet tones emanate from Instagram on your phone while you brush your teeth? OK, we got it, you’re likely aligned with the mayor’s priorities, too, from boosting police hiring to boosting downtown’s economic recovery through tax breaks, and you probably worry that the Overpaid CEO tax will threaten the city’s comeback. 

Here are the business-friendly, moderate Democrat-aligned guides of choice to point you in the right direction. 

GrowSF (opens in new tab) — This pro-development, pro-business group is so aligned with the mayor that it, until recently, employed his former campaign consultant. It’s almost like getting an endorsement from the horse’s mouth. Almost. The group backed both of his allies, Supervisors Alan Wong and Stephen Sherrill. 

Blueprint SF (opens in new tab) — This group’s guide was paid for by Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, a group whose leadership famously earned Lurie’s ire. That said, they’re billionaire-backed, and their political worldviews still align. 

SF Chamber of Commerce (opens in new tab) — If you’re pro-business, who better to listen to than an organization that represents businesses across San Francisco of every size and shape? 

Chinese American Democratic Club (opens in new tab) — This group of centrist Chinese voters broadly aligns with Lurie’s politics, but not always with Lurie himself, particularly in their District 4 supervisor pick. The club passed over Wong, the mayor’s appointee, for their first rank.

Maybe you consider yourself a member of San Francisco’s capital-P “Progressive” Democrats, or you’re a progressive in the national sense. You worry about an excess of police power, think billionaires should get taxed to pay for social services, or want San Francisco to prioritize tenant protections over building towering market-rate housing. You might catch up on Democracy Now! (opens in new tab) episodes during weekend chores, or watch Hasan Piker (opens in new tab) rack headshots in Cyberpunk 2077 while waxing philosophical about economic inequality. Enjoy this squad (of voter guides).

SF League of Pissed Off Voters (opens in new tab) — These progressive political nerds dive deep into the weeds to explain their picks, and are oft-aligned with Progressives on the Board of Supervisors. Note their congressional pick of Supervisor Connie Chan over Saikat Chakrabarti.

• Trained in fierce local politics, SF women lead statewide contests

• With Alan Wong’s decisive victory, the Sunset just wants to be boring again

• SF had a once-in-a-generation election. Voter turnout was just fine

Housing — we all need it, and some of us pay through the nose to get it. If housing affordability is your key issue, you may align with a distinct ideological track: YIMBY and other urbanists, who push for more housing to be built to bring down prices across the market, or tenant activists, who think market-rate housing leads to more evictions. Whether you pine for Ezra Klein or think market-rate housing equals luxury (opens in new tab) housing, we’ve got guides for both flavors of housing activists — so stop fighting, by God, or I’ll turn this voter guide around and drive straight home.

SF YIMBY (opens in new tab) — (opens in new tab)The big mac daddy of the “build the damn housing already” movement. The original recipe, accept no substitutes.

Have thoughts on this story?

SF Tenants Union (opens in new tab) — (opens in new tab)While yes, you can be for tenants’ rights and also a YIMBY, functionally in SF politics these two groups are often on opposing teams. Use this guide if you favor tenant protections or harbor a distinct distrust of housing developers.

SPUR (opens in new tab) —The O.G. urbanists, into building more housing before it was cool. Maybe problematically so, if you look back far enough (opens in new tab). Look up “pragmatist” in the dictionary, and you’ll find their staff photo. Also generally Lurie-aligned.

Look, the SF Standard obviously employs journalists, and we’ve therefore got a soft spot for the written word, which is sometimes— shockingly — printed on gray paper that’s tossed onto your doorstep. While a certain congresswoman may have recently called these endorsements “totally irrelevant,” (opens in new tab) we’ll respectfully posit they hold value because they’re often well-researched and try to weigh counterarguments. Although much like our categories above, they often sail down ideological lanes.

SF Bay Guardian (opens in new tab) — The now-defunct alt-weekly newspaper still raises hell in its annual endorsement lists, a mighty checklist that progressives used to rip from the side of their newspapers and take into voting booths. Print it out and crumple the edges for nostalgia’s sake. 

SF Chronicle (opens in new tab) — Its endorsements this year are pretty Lurie-aligned, but don’t take that as a given. Their editorial board can surprise you, once in a while.

SF Examiner (opens in new tab) — Its owner, Clint Reilly, has a say in the endorsements, and he’s been around city insiders longer than most (opens in new tab). And we think that perspective is worth its weight in newsprint. 

The Bay Area Reporter (opens in new tab) — A publication serving the LGBTQ+ community since 1971, come for the hot takes, stay for the hot cookie (opens in new tab). 

League of Women Voters (opens in new tab) — OK, OK, the league isn’t a newspaper, but they’ve been educating voters so long, they’re certainly an institution. Plus, I didn’t have another natural category for them. Enjoy!

There’s a fascinating phenomenon bubbling up: random, highly motivated citizens drumming up their own voter guides and seeing them take off. It’s incredibly charming — we should all be so industrious. Here’s a smattering we were sent by sources when we went asking around.

Chang Sun, “Principled Agents” (opens in new tab) — (opens in new tab)This guide is aligned with YIMBY yet spurned state Sen. Scott Wiener for Congress. Worth a read just to find out why. 

Hansen Qian (opens in new tab) — (opens in new tab)This guide is pretty standard, moderate Democrat fair, touting fiscal pragmatism, but you’ve gotta appreciate the hustle. 

Pamela Drake (opens in new tab) — (opens in new tab)I’m cheating a bit here. Drake primarily writes about East Bay races, but for a San Franciscan, you can check out her rationale for statewide races. I’m just really into self-described grandmas who blog about politics. 

Corry Frydlewicz (opens in new tab) — Again, another East Bay-focused guide, but not many of these guides focus on trans rights, making this one worth a read for statewide races if you’re a San Franciscan. 

Twilight of Greed (opens in new tab) — Bonus points to a student and teacher, calling themselves “radicals,” who repeatedly call themselves the “Editorial Board” in their guide. Cheeky.

Now, just go vote.