It’s Election Day. Here’s how to turn in your SLO County ballot if you still need to vote
Election Day is upon us, bringing with it plenty of ways to cast your ballot — and the chance to flaunt an “I Voted” sticker.
As of Monday, about 48,000 ballots had been returned to the Elections Office, which makes up about 27% of the total sent out, according to San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano.
This year, voters will have the chance to choose a representative for District 5 on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors and judges for San Luis Obispo Superior Court, along with picking candidates to progress to the November general election for Congress, president and the California State Assembly and State Senate.
If you’re one of those who have waited to vote until Election Day, you can still return your mail-in ballot at one of the county’s official drop boxes or at the SLO County Clerk-Recorder’s Offices in downtown San Luis Obispo and Atascadero.
You can also vote at your polling place.
Here’s a look at everything you need to know to vote in the primary.
Is it too late to register to vote?
The deadline to register to vote was Feb. 20 for the March primary — but to all the procrastinators out there, you’ll still have the chance to cast a ballot.
People are still able to sign up for conditional voter registration, also known as same-day voter registration, through Election Day.
You can complete conditional voter registration at the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office or a polling place, where you’ll fill out forms and then be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.
How and where to vote
Voters can return their mail-in ballots by mail, at an official ballot drop box, at the county’s election offices in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero or at a polling place on Election Day, according to the release.
You can find a list of official drop boxes on the county’s website at bit.ly/4aU6hGg.
The North County Elections Office at 6565 Capistrano Ave. in Atascadero will be open Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, the San Luis Obispo Elections Office at 1055 Monterey St. will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Finally, you can drop off your mail-in ballot or vote with a provisional ballot at your polling place.
You can find the location of your precinct’s polling place listed on your mail-in ballot or online at bit.ly/3T4U6y4.
Be sure to complete your ballot with a pencil or a pen with blue or black ink and sign the back of your mail-in ballot envelope before submitting it.
Ballots submitted before Election Day will be counted before election night, and then included in the election night tally. Ballots received by the office in the mail after Election Day are counted later, which can take weeks depending on volume.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted.
Staffing shortage shuffles SLO, Los Osos and Oceano precincts
Some residents in Los Osos, Oceano and San Luis Obispo will need to vote at a different polling place than the one that is listed on their mail-in ballot, according to the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office.
The Elections Office consolidated three precincts with others nearby due to a staffing shortage.
In Los Osos, precinct 213 will be consolidated with precinct 214, the Elections Office said.
Instead of being located at Monarch Grove Elementary School, the precinct will be located at Trinity United Methodist Church at 490 Los Osos Valley Road.
In Oceano, precinct 411 was supposed to be located at the Oceano Community Center. Instead, it will join precincts 412 and 413 at the Rancho Del Arroyo Mobile Home Park Clubhouse at 2700 Cienaga St.
Finally, in San Luis Obispo, precinct 519 was moved from the SLO Veterans Hall to the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center.
Who is on the ballot?
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors race in District 5 has been the most contested this election, with Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno and Atascadero Mayor Pro Temp Susan Funk competing to replace Supervisor Debbie Arnold on the board.
Because only two candidates are competing for the seat, whoever wins the primary election wins the position. The victor will be sworn in as supervisor in January when Arnold’s term ends.
You can read more about the two candidates here:
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From housing to water: Here’s where SLO County supervisor candidates stand on the issues
Meanwhile, Supervisors Dawn Ortiz-Legg and John Peschong are running unopposed to keep their seats in their respective districts.
Ortiz-Legg represents District 3, while Peschong represents District 1.
Six candidates are fighting to represent San Luis Obispo County in the United States House of Representatives.
The northern portion of the county, from Atascadero, Cayucos and above, is in District 19 with parts of Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara counties. Software engineer Sean Dougherty and small business owner Jason Anderson challenged incumbent Rep. Jimmy Panetta for the District 19 seat.
The southern part of the county is in District 24 with Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Public school teacher Helena Pasquarella and campaign data analyst Thomas Cole challenged incumbent Rep. Salud Carbajal for the seat.
The top two vote-getters for each race will progress to the November general election, when voters will select their official representative.
Lean more about the candidates here:
Voter Guide: Where do SLO County candidates for Congress stand on issues?
Should the U.S. fund Israel’s military? Here’s what SLO County’s congressional candidates say
Five candidates are running for two seats representing San Luis Obispo County in the State Senate.
The southern and eastern portion of the county, including the Grover Beach, Oceano, Nipomo, the Carrizo Plain and Cuyama, is now part of District 21 — which extends into Ventura County.
There, college student Elijah Mack is challenging incumbent Monique Limón. Both candidates will progress to the November general election.
The rest of the county remains in District 17, which also includes a portion of Monterey County along with San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.
Computer science professor Eric Tao, veterans advocate Tony Virrueta and AV technician Micheal Oxford challenged incumbent John Laird for the District 17 seat.
The top two vote-getters will head to a runoff in the general election.
Read more here:
SLO County voters will also notice a California State Assembly race on their ballot.
Nipomo shares District 37 with Santa Barbara County, while the rest of San Luis Obispo County falls into District 30 with parts of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
In District 30, broadcast journalist Dalila Epperson is challenging incumbent Dawn Addis for the seat.
In District 37, retired business analyst Sari Domingues is challenging incumbent Gregg Hart for his seat.
Both races will head to the November general election when voters pick the victor.
Learn more about the candidates here:
Three positions are up for election to be a judge on the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County. Three judges are running unchallenged for each six-year term.
