The Bay Citizen has this article about San Francisco’s public funding system for candidates for Mayor. Anyone who raises at least $25,000 privately is then entitled to receive matching funds for all further donations. Candidates can apply for public funding months before the August filing deadline to be on the ballot. San Francisco holds non-partisan elections for Mayor in November of the odd years immediately preceding presidential election years. This year’s election is November 8, 2011. San Francisco uses Instant Runoff Voting, so there is only one round.

Unfortunately, the system provides that anyone who receives public funds, and then who doesn’t file for office, must return the public funds. This year, sixteen candidates are on the ballot. Several of them have received considerable public funding, and they must remain in the race, or they will be required to return the public funding. So, no one is dropping out, even though several of the candidates who have received public funding are at or below 3%. The article focuses on Phil Ting, who is the Assessor-Recorder, and who is at zero in the polls, even though he has received $230,000 in public funding.

Opponents of Instant Runoff Voting plan to try to repeal that system in 2012. Critics of San Francisco’s Instant Runoff Voting say IRV is responsible for too many candidates on the ballot. But, as the Bay Citizen explains, the real cause of an abundance of candidates is the rule in reimbursement. Other public funding systems do not generally require that candidates who drop out must pay back all the public funding. Obviously, if a candidate has used the public funding for legitimate campaign expenses, the money has already been spent. Thanks to Sam Harley for the link.