SF League of Pissed Off Voters

Monday, January 11th is the last day to register to vote in the wonky local Democratic Party election known by wonks as ADEMs (for Assembly District Election Meetings.) 

You can register online and in this pandemic year, all voting is by mail, so you never have to leave your house! These delegates help set the California Democratic Party policies and priorities. So if you’ve ever been pissed off about sellout Democrats, this is a chance to say something about it.

The League’s steering committee has a range of feelings about how involved we should be in ADEMs, absent a formal endorsement process, so we’re not making any official endorsements. We are not a Democratic club and some of us aren’t Democrats. Some of us are turned off by participating in these insider politico machinations and/or question if the ADEMs really matter or if it’s just a popularity contest for politicos. Some of us are excited to see some of our allies and heroes stepping up to run for the ADEMs to reform the state Democratic Party that has been dominated by corporate sellouts for as long as we’ve been around. If this kind of geekery interests you, read on!

Who's running?

Lots and LOTS of people! Our friends at the Harvey Milk club and the SF Berniecrats have endorsed slates. They both mostly align with the Progressive Power slate in Assembly District 17 (the East Side of SF represented by David Chiu) and the Progressive Alliance slate in Assembly District 19 (West Side of SF represented by Phil Ting), but with a few differences. 

Assembly District 17 - the East Side of SF represented by David Chiu

Assembly District 19 - the West Side of SF represented by Phil Ting

* Progressive Power "recommends" both Alan Wong and Ryan McGilley for their sixth slot. 

What the hell is the ADEMs?

The ADEM elections are held every two years to elect Assembly District Delegates to the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC). There’s an explainer video on the California Democratic Party website.  

In San Francisco, registered Democrats and Decline to State voters elect leaders to the local Democratic Party governing body, the San Francisco's Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) that decides the Party’s endorsements of candidates and ballot measures. ADEMs are like the DCCC on the state level. But unlike the DCCC elections that are run by the independent Department of Elections and appear on your City ballot, ADEMs are weird and run by Democratic Party. In the past, you had to vote in in person at specific polling places based on the district. Instead of being a public government-run election, the process is managed by a convener and volunteers. In the past, that lack of accountability has led to long lines and some major shenanigans. But thanks to the pandemic, this year's ADEM is all by mail, so you don't have to sacrifice a weekend day for this!

Why are the ADEMs important?

San Francisco and California are essentially “one party towns” where the Republicans are thankfully mostly sidelined while third parties struggle to break through the Dems’ monopoly. The ADEM delegates vote on the party chair and leadership for the California Democratic Party that controls a massive amount of resources for campaigns up and down the state. In 2017, the progressive candidate for chair, Kimberly Ellis, lost by just 57 votes in a hella shady election marred by disorganization and accusations of ballot stuffing. (The winner, Eric Bauman, resigned after accusations of sexual misconduct, so...there’s that.)

The delegates also will decide the state party endorsements for 2022 ballot measure and candidates. The ADEM election is important for movement building, securing official party endorsements for progressive candidates, and moving the dial on progressive issues. The 2017 progressive delegates added tenants rights and addressing homelessness to the party priorities. The party chair they elect impacts fundraising, and the chair wields an enormous budget and political power.