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SAN FRANCISCO — Dogged by scandal, the city’s Elections Department has lost credibility in the eyes of many San Franciscans, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle. 

In a poll the paper commissioned and published Tuesday, 31 percent of 500 voters said they doubt the city can be trusted to count votes accurately. 

The department has weathered numerous problems in recent years, including a state investigation, missing or uncounted ballots and lost precinct rosters. 

While the paper’s investigation found no evidence of vote rigging, it found elections have been tainted by numerous mistakes. 

“When people can’t trust that their votes are being counted, that’s a real crisis,” said Kim Alexander of the California Voter Foundation, a statewide elections watchdog group. 

In less than three years, the department has gone through four directors — three with no previous elections experience — and lost numerous rank-and-file employees. 

“There is a perception of a department out of control,” said David Binder, who conducted the poll.