Supervisors debate repeal of ranked-choice voting, divide competing charter measures and continue to July

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday debated a charter amendment that would end ranked-choice voting (RCV) for citywide offices and replace it with various runoff formats, then voted to divide the proposal into competing measures and continue the matter to a committee of the whole in July.

Supervisors spent more than two hours debating alternatives to RCV, including limiting a repeal to the mayoral race, creating a September primary tied to a November runoff, and a version that would retain RCV for an initial election and send the top two candidates to a later runoff. The board ultimately agreed to divide the file into separate versions — the original proposal, a version with an amendment introduced by President Chu, and a version offered by Supervisor Olague — and continue all versions for further amendments and public review.

Why it matters: The change would alter how San Franciscans choose citywide officials and could affect turnout, campaign strategy and the timing of future mayoral elections. Supporters said runoffs would make it easier for voters to…