Though multiple established news organizations have declared the presidential primary process over and a Trump v Clinton matchup inevitable this November, that's no reason not to get your ass over to your polling place and vote today — after all, there are all sorts of local issues to settle, and by "settle" I do not mean "comment regarding on various local news websites."
If you've somehow managed to avoid all the information on San Francisco's local races, Mission Local has a nice, accessible, and non-endorsey explainer and roundup (this is what I sent my husband this morning) of the local candidates and issues you'll be deciding today. And if you do want endorsements, here's the SF Bay Guardian's (long may they occasionally be revived) list, perfect to either follow or do the diametric opposite of, depending on your sentiments regarding that publication's politics.
San Francisco's polling places are all open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Department of Elections Director John Arntz tells us, suggesting that you check to make sure your polling place before heading out at this link or by calling the DoE at (415) 554-4375.
If it's easier, you can vote at the City Hall Voting Center, which is located on the ground floor of City Hall. (Remember, when you go to City Hall you have to go through a metal detector and submit to a bag search — while it's not as bad as the airport, it can still be a hassle.)
If you're a vote-by-mail person who hasn't managed to get to that "mail" part, you can drop your ballot off at any SF polling place (it doesn't matter if it's your polling place, they'll take it) or at the DoE's Ballot Drop-off Stations, which are located outside both entrances to City Hall. You can still mail the ballots, too, as long as you make sure they they are postmarked with today's date. "Anyone uncertain about whether his or her mailed ballot would reach the Department in time," Arntz says, "is encouraged to instead bring the ballot to the City Hall Voting Center, the Department's Ballot Drop-Off Stations, or any San Francisco polling place before 8 p.m."
If you're a wonk like me, you'll be following the results as they roll in tonight. There are a couple ways to do that — the DoE will start making their reports at 8:45, and posting them to their site. You can also turn on SFGTV (they're online here, and broadcast on cable channel 26) which "will report summary results throughout the night as a banner during SFGTV programming," the DoE says.
If you're really dorky, you can go to City Hall! For every election, the DoE sets up a screen in the North Light Court that will display summary results, and workers will hand out printed copies of results at 8:45 p.m., 9:45 p.m., 10:45 p.m., and 11:30 p.m. (You can also pick up those printed copies at the DoE's front counter, which is in Room 48 of City Hall.)
And, of course, you can follow the DoE at @sfelections on Twitter and on Facebook at Facebook.com/sfelections.
So now I want to know you're voting experience. Are you a (stickerless) mail-in person, or did you head out to your polling place today? What's it like out there?
Related: Mainstream Media Calls Democratic Nomination For Clinton, Outraging Sanders Supporters