Jordan Asks State to Oversee S.F. Mayoral Vote

Citing a string of election glitches that slowed ballot counting and confused absentee voters, Mayor Frank Jordan has asked for a state “emergency response team” to oversee the city’s December runoff.

The San Francisco mayor, who faces former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in the Dec. 12 mayoral vote, said the registrar of voters’ office is “operating under a cloud.”

“The confidence of San Francisco’s electorate is at stake,” Jordan said Thursday in a letter to Secretary of State Bill Jones, who oversees state elections but does not control local ones. “We must do everything in our power to ensure that the law is strictly followed.”

Beth Miller, spokeswoman for Jones, said it was not clear whether the secretary of state had the authority to step into a local election.

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Meanwhile, officials said San Francisco’s newly approved caps on campaign expenditures in local elections probably will not head off a spending spree in the mayoral runoff.

Proposition N, approved by 61% of San Francisco’s voters on Tuesday, put a voluntary spending limit of $1 million on mayoral races--$600,000 in the general election and $400,000 for a runoff.

But the new law will not apply to any local candidates until 10 days after the registrar of voters, Germaine Wong, certifies the election results and the Board of Supervisors signs off on it.

Wong said Thursday it is highly unlikely that the process will be completed in time to affect the Jordan-Brown runoff.

As of Oct. 21, Jordan had spent $1.4 million and Brown $1.2 million. Brown’s campaign manager, Jack Davis, said his staff is anticipating a budget of $600,000 to $700,000 for the runoff, and Jordan is expected to spend a similar amount.