City of San Mateo Measure F: Charter Amendment Measure
My vote power
High
Election date
November 3, 2026
How do we calculate my vote power?
What determines the vote power rating for ballot measures: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. You have more power in ballot measures because you vote directly on the policy.
Representation: High · 77 out of 100
This district is a small slice of its state, so each vote here carries much more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 103,105 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(39,287,377 ÷ 103,105) ÷ ln(50,000) = 77.46, measured against a statewide vote in CA (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
High representation + a direct vote on the policy → My vote power: High.
What does this measure do?
Measure F updates San Mateo's city charter to match the district elections the city already uses and gives the council 60 days instead of 30 to fill an empty seat. It also removes old rules on meeting times, candidate statements, and newspaper bids, and does not change taxes.
Read the official ballot measure (PDF)
Proposed by: San Mateo City Council (Resolution 85 (2026))
The city's elected council. It voted to put this change to the city charter (the city's rule book) on the ballot. A charter can only be changed by a public vote.
Source: smcacre.gov
A YES vote means
The charter is updated: council members are elected by district, the council gets 60 days to fill vacancies, and it sets its meeting schedule by vote instead of in the charter.
A NO vote means
The charter keeps its current wording, including outdated at-large election language and the 30-day limit to fill a council vacancy.
Source: smcacre.gov
Source: smcacre.gov
Last updated September 26, 2026.