Local elections

Midnight - That's about it for tonight. Thanks to everyone who checked in with The Tribune Election Tracker and followed the races. For additional coverage, head to SanLuisObispo.com for all the latest from the county, state and national elections.
11:15 p.m. - More than 68 percent of Atascadero residents who turned out voted against Measure D-08. Tuesday�s results demonstrated a clear win by those residents opposed to the measure. Of the more than 11,000 people who voted in Atascadero, 8,015 voted against the so-called Shield Initiative. Thirty-one percent, or 3,727 residents, voted in favor of it. .
11:10 p.m. -Paso Robles voters appeared to have chosen Gary Nemeth as their mayor. The retired police secured the seat in a close-call vote of 40.84 percent of votes, or 3,845, over Duane Picanco at 40.61, or 3823.
11 p.m. - San Luis Obispo County voted in favor of Proposition 8 in a close election tallied in 152 precincts. The measure, which eliminates the rights for same sex partners to marry in California, came to a final vote of 51.30 percent in favor and 48.70 against it.
10:45 p.m. - Jan Marx and John Ashbaugh will join the San Luis Obispo City Council, in complete but unofficial results.The two challengers, with 25.5 and 23 percent of the vote, respectively, narrowly defeated incumbent Paul Brown, with 21.4 percent and another challenger, Dan Carpenter, with 20 percent.
10:30 p.m. - Notable quotes from Atascadero:
"This election really got my motor going," said incumbent Jerry Clay. "I've been fighting harder against Measure D-08 than for my own candidacy."
On Tuesday night early returns showed a victory for both.
"This tells you that the people are fed up," he said. "Hopefully all of the naysayers will go away now."
"The roads need to be fixed and now hopefully we will have the funds to do that," said Bob Wilkins, owner of Wilkins Printing and a vocal opponent of Measure D-08. "The anti-Wal-Mart group has cost the city time and caused more than two years of discontent."
10:10 p.m. - Miss Barack Obama's speech? Watch it here along with other Election Day videos.
10 p.m. - No on Measure D-08 in Atascadero has collected 71.3 percent of the vote (4,028 votes) with 34.6 percent of the votes counted.
9:36 p.m. - At 61.25 percent, San Luis Obispo County voters are appearing strongly in favor of passing Proposition 12. The Veteran's Bond Act would allot a $900 million bond to provide farm and home aid for California veterans.
9:30 p.m. - Local voters are against Proposition 4 by 54.52 percent. The measure would change the California Constitution to prohibit abortion for an unemancipated minor until 48 hours after physician notifies minor's legal guardian. San Luis Obispo County polls are currently showing 45.48 percent in favor of the change.
9:28 p.m. - Incumbent Janice Peters has about a 200 vote lead over opponent George Leage in the race for mayor of Morro Bay. Candidates Noah Smukler and Carla Borchard are in the lead for two seats on the City Council. Smukler has won 1,383 votes while Borchard has snagged 1,340 votes. Incumbent Bill Peirce has won 1,030 votes while Roger Ewing has gained 772 votes.
9:20 p.m. - Los Osos Community Services District candidates Maria Kelly and Marshall E. Ochylski are leading the race for the two open seats on the services district board. Ochylski holds the top spot with 1,954 votes. Kelly has won 1,635 votes while candidate Karen Venditti has snagged 1,192 votes. Alon Perlman and Dave Duggan have so far won 580 votes and 257 votes. respectively.
9:15 p.m. - San Luis Obispo County voters are 54.16 percent in favor of Proposition 8, which eliminates the rights for same sex partners to marry in California. Local voters against it are currently standing at 45.84 percent.
9:05 p.m. - Roberta Fonzi (26.5 percent), Jerry Clay (24.2 percent) and Bob Kelley (18.5 percent) have emerged as the frontrunners for the three seats on the Atascadero City Council. Len Colamarino is at 11.9 percent with 34.6 of the votes counted.
8:55 p.m. - The leading candidates vying for four on the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District school board so far are retired teacher Tim Gearhart with 18.25 percent of votes, businesswoman Debi Saunders with 17.62 percent, local pastor Ruben Tate with 14.70 percent and retired teacher Robert Simola with 14.01 percent. Saunders, Simola and Tate are incumbents on the seven-member board.
8:35 p.m. - Gary Nemeth is leading with 43 percent of votes for Paso Robles Mayor over Duane Picanco, who stands at 40.32 percent of votes.
8:30 p.m. - Early returns show that Measure D, the so-called Shield Initiative, is failing in Atascadero. With just some of the absentee ballots having been tallied, the No votes led 71 percent to 28 percent in favor of it.
8:15 p.m. - Barack Obama swept California as he won the presidency, scooping up 55 electoral votes.
8 p.m. - Barack Obama wins, first black to gain presidency
7:50 p.m. - Democrats unseated Republican House incumbents in Florida and Connecticut and jumped to early leads over Republicans in more than a dozen other contests as they pressed to increase their majority.
7 p.m. - Barack Obama has built a commanding lead, capturing another sought-after prize. He wins Ohio and its 20 electoral votes, giving the Democrat a total of 195 to John McCain�s 70.
6 p.m. - Two hours until voting closes in San Luis Obispo County. County and state voting results will begin trickling in after 8 p.m.
5:57 p.m. - Pennsylvania has gone to Barack Obama. The state�s 21 electoral votes go to the Democrat. The loss of Pennsylvania narrows the possible paths to victory for John McCain.
5:20 p.m. - Tribune reporter Sally Connell shares her Election Day experience
4:55 p.m. - While voting in California will continue until 8 p.m., it ends in some 15 states at 5 p.m. Pacific. The biggest prize is Florida and its 27 votes along with 11-vote Missouri.
4:15 p.m. - A photo gallery of election images from around the county has been posted and will be updated throughout the night.
3:10 p.m. - The first polls have closed and our election map is live with results updated every few minutes. Check back throughout the night for the latest national, state and county news. State/county results will be released after 8 p.m., which is when most our results will move.
1:45 p.m. - It's been a busy day at the polls, especially in California where long lines are being reported all over the state. San Luis Obispo has also had a few problems with long lines, although the reports are not as bad as other areas in California
12:45 p.m. - Features writer Sarah Linn shares her Election Day experience in San Luis Obispo
11:30 a.m. - Copy editor Jay Thompson shares his Election Day experience in Morro Bay
11 a.m. - SLO Clerk-Recorder featured on NPR
10:10 a.m. - San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Julie Rodewald was greeted by a fire alarm blaring before 6 a.m. today when she arrived at the election headquarters in the County Government Center on Monterey Street. �My first thought when I drove up this morning � on today of all days � was, �You�ve got to be kidding!�, Rodewald said. MORE
9:10 a.m. - National results are expected to be available starting at 4 p.m. Pacific. Local and state results will be available after 8 p.m.
9 a.m. - Welcome to The Tribune Election tracker where the newsroom staff will be posting election updates throughout the day. Refresh the homepage for the latest news and voting results that affect San Luis Obispo County.