Recall election seeing strong turnout in SLO County. Here’s where it stands so far
With nearly two weeks to go until the governor’s statewide recall election, about a quarter of San Luis Obispo County’s registered voters have already returned their ballots.
California voters on Sept. 14 will decide whether to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office and replace him with a candidate from a very large field of contenders.
All registered voters received ballots, which they can send back in the mail or leave at drop boxes throughout the county. Those who want to vote in person can also wait until Election Day and cast their ballots at assigned polling places.
As of Monday, more than 48,000 of the approximately 185,000 county voters who received ballots have returned them, said Helen Nolan, deputy clerk-recorder.
That means more than 25% of voters have cast their ballots in the election, so far. Some people even returned their ballots the day after they received them, Nolan said.
“This is, I think, a really good return for where we are in the process,” Nolan said.
What about statewide turnout?
Nearly 4.1 million mail-in ballots had been returned throughout California as of Monday — about 18% of all those sent out, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The Bee used data from tracking firm Political Data Inc. to show voters’ demographic information and which party has returned more ballots.
So far, Democratic ballots make up 54% of those returned, with 24% coming from Republicans and 22% coming from others, the Bee’s story said.
Voters age 50 and older have returned more ballots than younger people. White voters have returned about 69% of the ballots, and about 17% have come from Latino voters.
For more information on how California and San Luis Obispo County is voting, visit Political Data’s ballots returned tracker at https://bit.ly/3yv7AXO.
How does a recall election work?
A recall election is a special election aimed at removing an elected official from office before the end of their term.
Before a recall election can happen, a certain number of voters must sign a petition indicating support for recalling the elected official.
If successful, the petition will trigger a special recall election in which registered voters vote on whether the elected official should remain in office — and, if they are recalled, who should replace them.
To date, only six recall attempts have been successful, including the 2003 recall of then-Gov. Gray Davis, who was replaced by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
How to turn in your ballot by mail or drop box
To mail in your ballot, simply remove the ballot stub, seal the ballot in the return envelope provided and sign your name on the envelope before dropping it in the mail. All ballots must be postmarked on or before Sept. 14 to be counted.
You don’t even need a stamp. Postage is paid for by the county.
If you don’t want to run to the post office, you can also return the sealed ballot in person to the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office at 1055 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo. Starting on Aug. 30, you can also return it to the office at 6565 Capistrano Ave. in Atascadero.
You can also drop off your ballot at any one of the 17 official drop boxes across San Luis Obispo County. For a list of those locations, visit the county Elections Office website.
Can I vote in person?
Yes, you can still vote in person if you don’t want to vote by mail.
Polling places will be open on Sept. 14 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find your local polling place, visit the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office website.
Make sure to bring your blank mail-in ballot with you to surrender. You’ll be given a different ballot to vote in-person at the polling location.
If you didn’t receive a mail-in ballot but are registered to vote or if you have other questions, contact the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office at 805-781-5228 or visit SLOvote.com.
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 5:32 PM.
