Assemblymember Matt Haney was the only name printed on San Francisco's June primary ballot for Assembly District 17, which covers the city's eastern neighborhoods. He won 106,260 votes, or 99.4%, according to Ballotpedia. Yet he still has an opponent on Nov. 3: Republican Manuel Noris-Barrera, who ran as a write-in and got 468 votes, or 0.4%.

Why 468 votes was enough

California uses a top-two primary for state legislative and congressional races: every candidate runs on one primary ballot, and the two who get the most votes advance to November, whatever their party. When only one candidate is printed on the ballot, a qualified write-in candidate who finishes second can claim the other November spot. Two other write-ins also ran in June: Bradley Wiedmaier of the Peace and Freedom Party got 127 votes and Libertarian Starchild got 17, Ballotpedia's results show. Noris-Barrera beat them both.

What's on the November ballot

San Francisco's Department of Elections lists two qualified candidates for the seat, Haney and Noris-Barrera. The Secretary of State's certified list shows Haney with the ballot designation Assemblymember. Noris-Barrera is listed with "No Ballot Designation," so voters will see only his name and party.

They've met before

This is a rematch. In March 2024, Noris-Barrera got 12.5% of the primary vote and advanced as a printed candidate. That November, Haney beat him 84.6% to 15.4%, or 169,490 votes to 30,900.

Why this seat may open again soon

Haney is also running for higher office. He has lined up endorsements for Scott Wiener's state Senate seat, which opens only if Wiener wins the Nov. 3 race for Congress. We covered that in Haney's 52 Assembly endorsements. If Haney later moves to the Senate, his Assembly seat would be filled in a separate election.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.

More races and measures: our 2026 election hub.