San Francisco has 11 geographic supervisorial districts, and each elects one full-time member of the Board of Supervisors. Only voters within a district choose its supervisor, but all 11 supervisors legislate on matters affecting the entire city. A supervisorial district is the geographic area represented by one supervisor. The San Francisco Charter establishes this district-based system, while the Board serves as the city's legislative branch.
Table of Contents
- How to find your district and supervisor
- Who can vote and run in a district
- How district boundaries are drawn
- What a district supervisor does
- Supervisor term limits
How to find your district and supervisor
Your home address determines your supervisorial district, current representative, and supervisor candidates on your ballot. A neighborhood name may not be enough because district and neighborhood boundaries do not always have to match.
The Department of Elections directs voters to its district-lookup tool. To check your representation: Checking the address is especially important if district lines have changed or you have moved. two people who describe themselves as living in the same neighborhood could fall on different sides of a district boundary.
- Enter your residential address in the lookup tool.
- Confirm the supervisorial district number shown.
- Use that number to identify your supervisor or the candidates appearing in that district's election.
Who can vote and run in a district
Only voters within a district elect that district's supervisor. Candidates must have lived in the district for at least 30 days before filing and must continue living there while serving, according to the city Charter. Supervisor elections use ranked-choice voting. If nobody receives a majority of first-choice votes, the lowest candidate is eliminated.
Ballots for that candidate transfer to each voter's next continuing choice, and the process repeats until one candidate has a majority, as explained in the Department of Elections' ranked-choice provisions. For example, if your first choice is eliminated, your vote can transfer to your second choice if that candidate remains in the contest. If you rank only one candidate, your ballot has no later preference to transfer to after that candidate is eliminated.
How district boundaries are drawn
The current district geography followed the 2020 Census. The Redistricting Task Force adopted the final map on April 28, 2022, and san Francisco first used the new local lines in the November 8, 2022 election, according to the city's 2022 redistricting report. When redistricting is required after a decennial census, a nine-member task force draws the map. The Board of Supervisors, mayor, and Elections Commission each appoint three members.
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The Board cannot revise the task force's completed map. The task force must consider equal representation, minority voting power, recognized neighborhoods, and communities of interest. The Charter targets district populations within 1% of the citywide district average, with deviations up to 5% when needed to prevent minority-vote dilution or preserve recognized neighborhoods. These population rules limit how closely lines can follow neighborhood boundaries. Districts balance residents rather than simply dividing the city into equal areas or keeping every neighborhood whole.
What a district supervisor does
A supervisor represents residents with local concerns while helping make policy for San Francisco as a whole. The Board establishes city policy and adopts ordinances and resolutions as the city's legislative branch.
Your district determines which supervisor represents you, but the Board's work is not confined to 11 separate sets of neighborhood rules. When contacting the city about a Board matter, use your address to identify your representative while recognizing that citywide legislation involves the full Board.
Supervisor term limits
San Francisco voters approved Measure B on June 2, 2026, by 53.04% to 46.96%. The Charter amendment imposes a lifetime maximum of two four-year terms for supervisors, according to the Department of Elections' final election results updated June 25, 2026. Term limits govern how long someone may serve; they do not change district boundaries or allow voters to choose candidates from another district.
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