ber thereof on the tally sheets provided therefor. He then shall count and enter the number of the first, second and third choice votes for each candidate on said tally sheet, and make return thereof to the Board of Election Commissioners. The canvass must be public, in the presence of bystanders and must be continued without adjournment until completed, and the result thereof is declared. Any candidate shall be entitled to representatives among the bystanders.

(b) If a ballot contain more than one vote for the same candidate, only the one of such votes highest in rank shall be counted. If a ballot contain either first or second or third choice votes for any office in excess of the number of places to be filled for such office, no vote for that office in the column showing such excess shall be counted.

(c) Paragraph b of this section shall be printed conspicuously on the tally sheet.

(d) Candidates receiving a majority of the first choice votes for any office shall be elected. If the full number of candidates to be elected do not receive such a majority of the first choice votes for such office, a canvass shall then be made of the second choice votes received by those candidates for said office who are not elected by first choice votes; said second choice votes shall be added to the first choice votes received by such candidates and candidates who by such addition shall receive a majority shall be elected.

(e) If by the count of either first choice votes or first and second choice votes, as above provided, more candidates than there are offices to be filled shall receive a majority, the candidate or candidates equal in number to the number of offices to be filled having the highest vote shall be elected.

(f) If the full number of candidates to be elected do not receive a majority by adding first and second choice votes, as above directed, a canvass shall then be made of the third choice votes received by those candidates for said office who are not elected, either by first choice votes or by adding first and second choice votes. Said third choice votes shall be added to the first and second choice votes received by such candidates, and the candidates, equal in number to the number of offices remaining to be filled, who receive the highest number of votes by said addition shall be elected.

Ties

Section 20. A tie between two or more candidates shall be decided in favor of the one having the highest number of first choice votes. If they are also equal in that respect, then the highest number of second choice votes shall determine the result. If this does not decide, then the tie shall be determined by lot, under the direction of the Board of Election Commissioners.

Majority Defined

Section 21. A majority vote for any candidate for an office where but one is to be elected shall be deemed to be more than one-half of the total number of first choice votes cast for all candidates for such office.

A majority vote for a candidate for an office where a group is to be elected shall be more than one-half of the number secured by dividing the total of first choice votes cast for all candidates for such office by the number of places to be filled.

Failure of Persons Elected to Qualify

Section 22. If a person elected fails to qualify, the office shall be filled as in this charter provided for a vacancy in such office.

Informalities in Election

Section 23. No informalities in conducting municipal elections shall invalidate same, if they have been conducted fairly and in substantial conformity to the requirements of this charter.

General Laws Applicable (Not necessary in San Francisco, as it is already provided in Article XI, Chapter 1, Section 5)

Section 24. All provisions of the general laws of this state, including penal laws, respecting elections, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, shall be applicable to all elections held hereunder. All provisions of the general laws of this state respecting the registration of voters shall be applicable to such registration in this municipality. CHANGES NECESSARY TO MAKE RECALL PROVISIONS OF SAN FRANCISCO CHARTER CONFORM TO FOREGOING

Amend Article XI, Chapter V, Section 5, to read:

Section 5. The Registrar of Voters shall in any recall election place upon the ballot the name of the incumbent whose removal is thus sought. unless such incumbent shall file in writing a request that his name do not appear. Any person may be nominated for any office sought to be filled at such recall election by filing the declaration of candidacy and the certificates of not less than ten or more than twenty sponsors in the form provided in Chapter II of this article for the general municipal election. Such declaration and certificates shall be filed with the Registrar of Voters not less than twenty-five nor more than thirty-five days before the date set for the recall election.

Amend Article XI, Chapter V, Section 7, to read:

Section 7. Elections for the recall or removal of an elected officer shall be conducted as provided in Chapter II of this article for the election of officers at the general municipal election, and the ballots shall be prepared, cast and counted in the manner therein prescribed.

Amend Article XI, Chapter V, Section 8, to read:

Section 8. If some other person than the incumbent receive the number of votes required to constitute an election the incumbent shall thereupon be deemed removed from office and the person so elected shall succeed him upon taking the oath of office. The successor of the official so removed shall hold office during the unexpired portion of the term for which such official was elected, unless sooner recalled under the provisions of this chapter. If the incumbent receive the number of votes necessary to constitute an election, he shall continue in office; and it shall require not less than double the number of signatures provided in section 1 of this chapter to initiate a second election for his recall; and if re-elected at such second recall election it shall require not less than three times the number of signatures provided in section 1 of this chapter to initiate a third election for the recall of such officer during the term for which he was elected.

Election By Preferential Voting

American cities have for several years been seeking, through changes in the election laws, to escape the evils of election by a minority. Under the system of election by plurality an organized minority can usually win against an unorganized majority, by dividing the majority vote among two or more candidates. The system of a double election in which the first election eliminates all but the two highest has been tried with some success for a good many years. In 1909 the Berkeley charter introduced the innovation of electing at the primary those candidates who had a majority of the votes, thus correcting the injustice of compelling a candidate who had already been given a clear majority of the votes to go to the labor and expense of a second campaign. This was followed by many cities. In the same year Grand Junction, Colorado, introduced a plan intended to accomplish the same result at a single election through the expression of a first, second and third choice on the same ballot, instead of at two elections. This plan was devised by Senator James W. Bucklin and proved so successful that it has been followed by a considerable number of cities. Other plans of preferential voting have been devised which give a more accurate expression of the will of the voters, but the recommendation of the Bucklin system is its simplicity. While it does not always insure election by a majority, it usually has this result.

The preferential system of voting, in one form and another, has shown steady progress in the past seven years, as may be seen by the following list of cities adopting it:

Population in 1910