Computers May Not Be Ready for Election

San Francisco’s computerized instant runoff system may not be ready for the November mayoral election. San Francisco was supposed to be the first major city in the country to use the voter-approved system, which lets voters rank their top three choices in order for every office.

The instant runoff system is so new that companies that design election systems are still developing software to count the ballots, and the city is considering counting the ballots -- more than 200,000 -- by hand if the software is not ready in time. The state still must approve any new voting system, and San Francisco has given itself until June 30 to complete the planning for the November election.

Under the system, if no candidate gets more than 50% of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Ballots listing the removed candidate as the No. 1 choice are recounted, with the No. 2 pick moved to the top spot.