Prop D Would Raise Bar for Citizen Ballot Measures
Citizen initiatives would need roughly 40,000 to 50,000 signatures, up from about 10,000, if Prop. D passes on November 3.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Civic Engagement
Live Poll
Do you think San Francisco should make it harder for citizens to place measures on the ballot?
San Franciscans heading to the polls for the November 3, 2026 general election will find 10 local propositions and 14 state propositions on their ballots. Proposition D would change how measures reach the ballot here, including who can place them and how many signatures citizen initiatives need.
Why it matters
Changes to ballot access reach any resident who has ever circulated a petition or wanted a say on a neighborhood issue. Supporters say the measure would trim divisive and misleading propositions, while opponents argue higher thresholds would disproportionately harm grassroots efforts, so the question of who gets to put measures before voters is open for residents to weigh.
Voters face 10 local and 14 state propositions, and the voter guide runs nearly 300 pages. Prop. D would lift the citizen-initiative signature requirement from about 10,000 to roughly 40,000 to 50,000 and raise the Board approval threshold from four members to six.
The players
Mayor Daniel Lurie
San Francisco's mayor, who backs Proposition D along with Propositions E and F on the November 2026 ballot.
Randy Shaw
Housing advocate and Tenderloin Housing Clinic leader who argues the measure would favor insurance companies and large real estate interests in ballot placement.
The details
Proposition D would remove the mayor's ability to place a measure on the ballot independently and would require six members of the Board of Supervisors, instead of four, to approve a ballot measure. It would also change signature requirements for citizen initiatives, raising the threshold from roughly 10,000 signatures to an estimated 40,000 to 50,000. Mayor Daniel Lurie backs Prop. D alongside Proposition E, which aims to streamline city contracting rules, and Proposition F, which would give the mayor tighter control over city departments.
Timeline
Voters are heading to polls or dropping off ballots for the general election on November 3, 2026.
Voters near the City Hall ballot drop box were expressing skepticism about Prop. D on the Monday before Election Day.
Across the Bay
San Francisco's current rule of about 10,000 signatures for citizen initiatives is the baseline Prop. D would overturn. Under the measure, the bar for residents to place their own proposals on the local ballot would rise to roughly four to five times that level.
If you have ever gathered signatures for a neighborhood measure, Prop. D would make that job far harder if it passes. Check the voter guide before November 3 to see how each proposition would change the rules that affect you.
The takeaway
Proposition D would change who can get measures onto San Francisco's ballot, so read the voter guide before you vote. Watch the November 3, 2026 results for how the measure and its companions fare.
What happens next
Voters will decide Proposition D and the other measures on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
Further reading
For more on how residents shape the ballot, explore Civic Engagement coverage across San Francisco.
Live Poll
Do you think San Francisco should make it harder for citizens to place measures on the ballot?
