Worried about voting by mail in SLO County? Here’s what you need to know
San Luis Obispo County is preparing for the 2020 election amid the coronavirus pandemic and concerns about vote-by-mail — and officials say they’re doing everything possible to ensure all voters will be able to cast their ballots.
The county will send ballots to all voters, increase the number of vote-by-mail drop-off locations and join the rest of the state in extending the deadline for receiving mailed ballots, said Tommy Gong, county clerk-recorder.
Gong said his office has been working with the U.S. Postal Service to ensure all voters will be able to receive their mailed ballots and send them back in a timely fashion.
The county is prepared to make sure everyone can cast ballots starting in October and all the way up to Election Day on Nov. 3, he said.
“We’ll do everything we can so (voters) still have their right to vote, but still keeping things safe for everybody, in this way,” Gong said.
Here’s what the county is doing to make sure the voting process runs smoothly. For more information, visit slovote.com or call the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office at 805-781-5080.
What’s going on with SLO County mail-in voting?
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the county — like many other places throughout the country — is emphasizing mail-in voting to allow residents to cast ballots from the safety of their homes and minimize contact with other people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Typically, voters must request a mail-in ballot or sign up to vote by mail permanently. But this year, California is requiring that counties send ballots to all voters registered by Oct. 19, the deadline set 15 days before Election Day on Nov. 3.
Registered voters don’t need to fill anything out to receive a ballot — the county hopes to start sending them by Oct. 1, Gong said. Voters can then return their ballots by sending them in the mail, leaving them at certified drop-boxes around the county or taking them to polling places during early voting or on Election Day.
Recent U.S. Postal Service operational changes have created mail delays in some parts of the country that have voters worried their ballots won’t reach election offices in time to be counted. On Tuesday, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced he was postponing several of the changes until after the election to ensure the mail wouldn’t be disrupted.
So far, state election officials, including Gong, haven’t seen mail delays that could cause voting issues, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Even so, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla wrote a letter to DeJoy saying he’s “gravely concerned” about cost-cutting measures and national reports of Postal Service slowdowns, the Bee’s story said.
Gong said he feels “pretty positive about things” in San Luis Obispo County after discussions with Postal Service officials. He said local postal workers are confident they can deliver ballots in a timely manner.
Usually, California voters must have their ballots postmarked by Election Day, and officials must receive them within three days of the election to have them counted. But this year, the state extended that deadline to 17 days after Election Day to give ballots more time to reach election offices.
Voters can also sign up for a service called “Where’s my ballot?” that allows them to track their ballot’s journey to the county’s election office.
Gong recommends that voters who mail their ballots close to Election Day physically take them to post offices to make sure they receive postmark stamps indicating when they were sent. Mail drop boxes may be emptied too late on Election Day for envelopes to get postmarked with the required date, he said.
Where can I return my ballot if I don’t want to send it in the mail?
Gong’s office is still finalizing the locations of the 18 vote-by-mail drop boxes officials plan to install around the county. Multiple drop-boxes will be located in each of the five supervisorial districts.
Locations will likely include government offices, clerk-recorder offices in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero and libraries, according to the proposed list.
Gong said he hopes to create a system that will allow voters to return their ballots in library book drop-boxes. This way, voters wouldn’t have to go inside library buildings, as some branches remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Voters will also be able to return their ballots at polling places during early voting and on Election Day.
What’s this card I got in the mail asking about my address?
The Clerk-Recorder’s Office sent post cards to all registered voters in the county as part of an effort to clean up its records and verify addresses ahead of the election.
This will make sure voters receive their ballots at the correct location and will prevent the county from wasting money and sending materials to people who have moved.
If your address appears correctly on the card, you can throw it away. If your address has changed, you can write in your new information, sign the card and put it in the mail.
You can check your voter status online at clerk.slocounty.ca.gov/voterstatus.
When and where can I vote in person in November?
The county this year is changing its voting setup to phase out the 74 traditional neighborhood polling places in favor of 22 “voter service centers.”
Instead of visiting assigned precincts, voters will be able to cast ballots from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 at regional centers distributed throughout the county’s five supervisor districts.
The voter service centers will have all the capabilities of an election office. This will allow voters to cast their ballots at any center in the county, instead of going to a specific location in their neighborhood.
The county has proposed a list of voter service centers that will be finalized in the coming months.
How will the county make sure voters don’t cast ballots twice?
The county will track mailed ballots that have been sent to the election office or returned at a drop box. Election staff will check to make sure all voters who show up to cast ballots in person have not yet returned a mailed ballot, Gong said.
Election officials maintain live electronic records that show whether voters have cast ballots by mail or in person. Residents who receive a mailed ballot and wish to vote in person can surrender the ballot at the physical polling place, but it’s not necessary, Gong said.
What if I don’t register to vote by Oct. 19?
Voters who haven’t registered by Oct. 19 won’t receive a ballot in the mail, but they can still vote in person on Election Day or during early voting, Gong said.
They will receive provisional ballots that will be counted after election officials can verify they haven’t already voted elsewhere.
Voters who cannot be found in the county’s system on Election Day will also receive provisional ballots that will be counted once officials have investigated the resident’s voting status.
Will provisional and mailed ballots be counted?
Yes, all provisional and mailed ballots will be counted after voters’ information is verified.
Gong said he’s heard rumors that these ballots are not counted, but that’s simply not true.
“I can guarantee it,” he said. “Every vote-by-mail and provisional ballot is counted.”
How do I register to vote?
County residents can register to vote online by visiting the California Secretary of State’s website at sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration or by visiting the Clerk-Recorder’s Office at 1055 Monterey St. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can check your voter status online at clerk.slocounty.ca.gov/voterstatus.
For more information, visit slovote.com or call the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office at 805-781-5080.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
