Professor McDaniel: Ranked-Choice Voting Could Help SF District Attorney Candidate Suzy Loftus

Monday, October 21, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- Jason McDaniel, who teaches Political Science at San Francisco State University, said the results of the poll showing Boudin in the lead should be “taken with a grain of salt” because of the relatively small number of respondents and the margin of error.

“Polls can move briefly around news in general,” he said. “This was commissioned and taken at the height of the appointment of Suzy Loftus. I would expect for it not to be as good for her as before the appointment, or as good as a poll taken when some of this has died down.”

What’s more, because of San Francisco’s ranked choice system, votes that go to the least popular candidates will ultimately be funneled to the others.

McDaniel said San Francisco’s system of voting could help Loftus because Dautch and Tung are more “traditional, establishment candidates” and their supporters may put the interim district attorney as their No. 2 choices before the more radical Boudin.

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