Who to Vote for (Besides Bernie Sanders) in the June 7th California Primary

Wanna just get straight to the voter guide? Go here.

I’m a huge Bernie Sanders supporter. I mean duh, we’re even selling Bernie gear and donating the money to his campaign. That said, there is a lot more at stake than just the presidency. The things that happen on a state and local level affect your life in a far larger capacity than the Presidency. So it’s doubly important that you get out and vote not just for Bernie, but for other progressives who can shape a better future for us all. That’s what this article is all about.

Note: This is just for San Francisco. Maybe one day I can do it for everywhere (probably not) but that day isn’t today. I still love you though.

First off are you registered to vote in San Francisco? If not, it’s time to do that shit already. This is your city and what happens here has major repercussions on your life. Also, by being here, you’re leaving a footprint on SF so it’s your duty to vote on what that footprint looks like. So register to vote!

Note: If you want to vote for Bernie Sanders you must register as democrat or ‘No Party Preference’ 

Important note from from reader Joshua Sibelman: One thing about “no party preference”, if you want to vote with a Democratic ballot you’ll need to request one at the polling place and they very well may not have enough if the turnout is high. The Sanders campaign has warned about this, so it’s a good idea to register Democrat to ensure you have a Democratic Party ballot on primary day. You can then change right back to NPP afterwards.

Other important note from reader Brad Alan Self: You MUST register as a Democrat to vote for the DCCC (which you will learn about below).

Important dates for registration and voting

Here’s a list of all the dates you need to know about to vote. I got this info from MyTimetoVote.com:

Who to vote for:

While we should have a voter guide for the election in November, we haven’t put together one for the June 7th primary, and it doesn’t look like we will. That said the League of Pissed Off Voters has.

I love the League. They really care about the city and want what’s best for all San Franciscans, not just the ones here to make money and leave. Considering that they always put out one of the best voters guides each election, and that I agree with them 99% of the time, I’m going to direct you to their endorsements for this primary (they will be putting out a more detailed voter guide soon and you can find out when by following them on Facebook).

Voting for the DCCC

It’s really important that we take the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) back from SF’s moderate Democrats and get progressives elected to it. The reason is that, since San Francisco is a one party town (Democrats…duh), a lot of people who don’t have time to research what they’re voting for just vote for what is mailed to them by the Democratic Party. The DCCC is who votes for the things that go on this mailer and then sends it out. Right now the some of the people on the DCCC aren’t even really Democrats, but only call themselves that since they are in SF.

To put things in perspective: the DCCC endorsed Ed Lee last year for mayor. If it had been filled with progressives, who knows, maybe Francisco, Amy, or I would’ve gotten their endorsement.

Important note: You MUST register as a Democrat to vote for the DCCC.

The League’s DCCC Endorsements:

Who NOT to vote for:

You are going to get this in the mail. It is utter and total bullshit, which is why I used my supreme photoshop skills and so craftily put an “X” through it. As soon as you get it just toss it in the recycling bin.

And finally here’s some info on how to actually vote. It came in the mail for you but I figured I make internetty for you just in case.

I hope this is helpful. Now get your ass out and vote!