Live updates: SLO County residents line up to cast votes as polls prepare to close
Hundreds of people around San Luis Obispo County headed to the polls Tuesday to turn in their ballots or vote in person, even as more than half — 64% — of registered voters had already cast ballots early.
This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, there weren’t any traditional polling stations in San Luis Obispo County. Instead, 23 voter service centers throughout the county, which were open Saturday to Tuesday, filled their place.
People voting on election day had the option to vote in person, return their mail-in ballots to ballot boxes or drop off their ballots curbside from their cars.
Residents cast votes at SLO centers as polls prepare to close
In the two hours before polling places closed on Tuesday, numerous voters stopped by the centers to drop off ballots and cast their votes.
Vanessa Stringham said she cast her ballot in person in at the SLO County Government Center to ensure it went to a secure location, and because it just felt like she was participating rather than mailing it in.
“Voting is important across our lifetimes,” she said. “And it’s especially important this year. I deeply care about the future ofour country and the direction we’re going to solidify a future for not just ourselves, but our children as well.”
Dylan Thompson said he dropped off his ballot today because he had “heard a lot about voter fraud and all that before the election.” He also added that he wanted to drop it off so he felt like he was participating.
Both Stringham and Thompson said they felt voting in local elections was almost more important than voting in national ones.
A poll worker said there were roughly 1,600 ballots cast at the San Luis Obispo County Government Center on Tuesday, as of 7 p.m. They said there was a steady stream of voters all day, including first-time young voters.
Every time a first-time voter registered at the Ludwick Center on the corner of Santa Rosa and Mill Streets, cheers and applause broke out.
North Coast turnout steady
The Election Day pace at the North Coast voter service center in Cambria was steady but never overwhelming, according to Elections Official Dave Brandmeyer, who worked all four “live voting” days at that site.
In this unusual election year, Cambria’s Veterans Memorial Building served as the in-person polling place for voters from the Monterey/San Luis Obispo county line to Cayucos, with the latter area being a new addition, he said. In previous elections, Cayucos had its own in-town polling place.
Brandmeyer said that, as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, more than 400 ballots had been cast in the 11 hours since the center opened at 7 a.m.
Between 6 and 6:30 p.m., voters were still trickling in, with no more than three individuals or couples casting ballots at the same time.
Everybody wore masks, as required, and social distancing was obvious throughout, including between the voting stations.
Incoming voters were directed to one of three check-in tables, where their questions were answered and eligibility verified, but not their signatures. That’s being done at the County Clerk Recorders’ elections office in San Luis Obispo, Brandmeyer said.
He’s worked in several other elections and polling places in previous years, Brandmeyer said, and he called the Cambria team “the most amazing crew” he’s worked with.
“I haven’t ever seen as much grace in dealing with the public,” he said, adding that in the four days of voting, there’d been no conflicts.
Clerk-Recorder says it’s ‘running very smoothly,’ anticipates earlier results
San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong said “things are going smoothly,” as of Tuesday afternoon.
Gong said about 3,473 ballots have been cast at its Voter Service Centers as of 4:30 p.m.
He said the first round of election results released when the centers close at 8 p.m. will reflect the vote-by-mail ballots processed through Oct. 31, as well as the 19 days of early voting in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero.
Starting at 9 p.m., Gong said he expects to release results from the ballots cast at Voter Service Centers over the weekend and yesterday; results from votes cast today will be added in throughout the night hourly, he said.
In positive news, Gong said he thinks the final results of the night, the “Unofficial Election Night Report,” which includes all ballots cast that day and those received by the office ahead of Election Day, will “hopefully” be released earlier than usual tonight.
That release normally comes out sometime after midnight.
‘So much enthusiasm’ at SLO County Government Center ballot drop-off
The Voter Service Center at the SLO County Government Center is on its third ballot turn-in box as of 3 p.m., according to poll worker Muriel Harkins, who is volunteering with the Central Coast Fund for Children.
“I’m really glad that there’s so much enthusiasm,” Harkins said.
Harkins said she didn’t have an official count for ballot turn-ins, but the prior shift had recorded around 500 ballots returned outside the Government Center, and 462 more have been returned since then.
First-time voters hitting polls in SLO
The Ludwick Center on the corner of Santa Rosa and Mill Streets saw many first-time voters dropping off their ballots and voting in person, according to poll worker Claudia Coleman.
”We’ve had a lot of first-time voters and they’re all excited,” Coleman said. “They take photos with their stickers, and one person got a video of them putting their ballot in the ballot box.”
Coleman said pollworkers have also been passing out “future voter” stickers for kids accompanying their parents or guardians. Poll workers also had hand sanitizer and wipes at the drop-off tent and everyone wore masks as they dropped off their ballots.
One family, decked out in American flag clothing, said they decided to come to the polls to turn in their ballots to set an example for their daughter.
”This year is pretty intense so I really wanted to be here in person,” Diane Orrel said. “It felt important, being a role model for my daughter.”
Coleman said as of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, around 190 people had turned in their ballot to the voter drop-off tent outside the voting center. She said about the same number or slightly more people had opted to vote indoors.
‘Very busy’ as voting centers open Tuesday morning
Tuesday morning at the San Luis Obispo County Government Center, one of the local voting centers, was relatively quiet.
There was a nearly nonstop flow of people turning in their ballots at the ballot drop-off tent just outside the Government Center. Occasionally, waves of voters pulled up in cars. And handfuls of people opted to vote in person at the voting center.
A few people rode up on their bikes, walked from their homes or brought their children along to turn in their ballots. Each ballot turn-in was met with a “Thank you for voting” from cheery poll workers outside the voting center.
“It’s been very busy,” poll worker Edie Lycke said. “It goes in waves.”
By 9:45 a.m., 350 ballots had been turned in at the ballot drop-off tent, according to poll worker George Fisher. Only about 200 ballots were in the ballot box an hour prior, according to Lycke.
San Luis Obispo resident Makayla DuBois said she turned in her ballot on Election Day partially out of procrastination, but also because she wanted to make sure her ballot made it in time.
“There’s a lot of information out there saying to just drop off your ballot if it’s close to election,” Dubois said.
She said she walked over from her house and the whole process was simple. She said she was grateful for the poll workers volunteering their time.
Another voter, Janelle Miller, said she voted by mail in the last election, but this time she wanted to drop off her ballot in person.
“It’s pretty easy,” Miller said in reference to the voting process.
And poll workers said “easy” was what they were hoping the process would be for local voters.
Fisher, who has previously worked at polls in the South County, said this year that “it’s just been so much better for the voters, and that’s what we want.”
Fisher said over the years he has seen the voting process change from lines of people waiting to fill out their in-person ballot to people mostly voting early. He said he anticipates a record-breaking turnout in SLO County this year.
Poll workers donating their stipends
About 15 poll workers at the SLO County Government Center were volunteers with the Central Coast Funds for Children, which provides grants and partners with other local organizations that benefit children. According to Marilyn Blake with the CCFC, volunteers will be donating their stipend from the last four days of poll working to the fund.
“This year, with COVID-19, some groups couldn’t get the money that they usually do,” Blake said.
Blake said the CCFC couldn’t hold its normal fundraising events, so the group got creative. Through their stipends, the CCFC volunteers will raise about $5,000 to $6,000 for organizations that have taken a financial hit for coronavirus, according to Blake.
Blake said this is her sixth election cycle working at the polls and this year has been without incident so far.
“I know there’s been this fear, but so far I’ve seen no issues,” Blake said.
For those who have not voted yet, it’s not too late. Last minute registration and voting information can be found here.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 10:56 AM.
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