Live updates: Election Day traffic at SLO County polling places ‘slow and steady’
It’s Election Day, San Luis Obispo County.
Polling places are open until 8 p.m. — the same deadline for voters seeking to drop off ballots.
Below you’ll find early voter turnout, what to do if you haven’t voted yet, how to track your California mail ballot, and key races The Tribune is watching. Check back throughout Election Day for updates to this story before polls close.
What to know for Election Day:
- SLO County election: Here’s everything you need to know about voting today
- Still deciding your vote in SLO County? Here’s our comprehensive election guide
Election 2022: The Tribune Editorial Board’s complete list of endorsements
Here’s what we will — and won’t — know on election night in SLO County
SLO County voters brave heavy rain to vote
On Tuesday morning, voters braved the pouring rain to cast their ballots at Shell Beach Veterans Memorial Hall.
“I’ve never missed a vote, ever,” Shell Beach resident Margo Fraser told The Tribune. “I don’t care who you vote for. You should vote. ... If you don’t vote, don’t complain.”
Fraser said she had a mail-in ballot ready. However, she decided to vote in person instead to ensure her vote will be counted Tuesday rather than later.
Philanthropic Educational Organization, a nonprofit women’s group, was hosting the polling place at the vets hall via an adopt-a-vote program, according to member Jamie Herbon, who was volunteering there.
Nonprofit groups who adopt a polling place help manage poll locations in exchange for a donation to their cause.
Herbon said that traffic at the Shell Beach polling place on Tuesday had been “slow and steady,” with more people coming in as the morning wore on.
She said the majority of people were dropping off their vote-by-mail ballots, but workers also saw a fair number of community members opting to vote in person.
“We want to respect every single voter that comes in and either wants to vote in person or come to the polling place and get their little sticker that says ‘I voted,’ ” Herbon said. “When they put their ballot in, we thank them for voting, we offer them a sticker and they are excited about the process. That makes us ... part of the solution.”
Volunteer: Traffic down at SLO polling place
On Tuesday, the Chumash Village polling location in San Luis Obispo was seeing about 30% to 40% less traffic than previous years, poll volunteer Bonnie Gue said.
Gue, who regularly volunteers at the polls, said the rain may have kept more people at home.
She said about 80% of people who had come in as of noon dropped off mail ballots, while the other 20% opted to vote in-person.
“It is important for our country to have volunteers who are responsible,” Gue said. “I want to be one of those people. I’ve taught all of my children the importance of voting. I believe it’s our right and we should take it serious.”
Mardi Hall, who was also volunteering at the Chumash Village polling place, is passionate about protecting the right to vote. She previously worked in San Bernardino County reviewing rejected ballots during California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall election.
“Claims of fraud in our voting system are not founded, and I saw firsthand in the room that we were in where the ballots were counted and the room is secured,” Hall said.
Her job was to decide whether rejected ballots should actually be rejected, and she was part of a large team that went into the different steps in that decision.
“A lot of time goes into not dismissing someone’s vote, which is what I really appreciated,” she said. “There was a collaborative respect of everyone working their assigned positions.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Cal Poly freshman Robert Keeley, who was volunteering at the ballot drop-off at San Luis Obispo County Government Center in downtown San Luis Obispo.
“Democracy right now is at a tipping point and I feel anything I can do to support it and make voting easy and accessible is really important,” said Keeley, who has residency in Colorado and cast a mail-in ballot in his home state’s election.
Keeley said traffic at the drop-off site, which allows voters to walk or drive up to hand off their ballots, fluctuated on Tuesday from long lines of cars to just a few vehicles.
Need to cast a vote?
You can still turn in a ballot at a voting center near you. You can find your closest polling place or ballot dropoff site on the SLO County elections website.
The deadline to register to vote online or by mail for the election was Oct. 24 — but there’s a buffer for folks who procrastinated and still want to cast a ballot.
You can still register to vote in-person at the Clerk-Recorder’s Offices in downtown San Luis Obispo and Atascadero.
Not sure if you’re registered? Check online at slocounty.ca.gov/voterstatus.
If you’ve already submitted your ballot, you can track its status at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov, a website recommended by the California Secretary of State’s Office. This website also shows when the county receives your ballot.
What’s on the ballot?
More than 70 local offices are on the ballot, including city councils, school boards, community service district governing boards and the District 2 seat on the SLO County Board of Supervisors.
Also on the ballot are state government races for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, state insurance commissioner and the Board of Equalization member for District 2.
SLO County voters also have a say in two U.S. Senate races — one for a full term and one for a partial term.
During the primary election, you may have found yourself voting in a new district for the state and federal races. That’s because the 2020 redistricting split the county into two state Assembly districts and two congressional districts.
SLO County used to reside in State Assembly District 35. Now, Nipomo voters can choose between Mike Stoker and Gregg Hart for District 37, and the rest of the county will chose between Dawn Addis and Vicki Nohrden for the District 30 seat.
In previous elections for Congress, the whole county was a part of District 24.
Now, areas of the county from Santa Margarita and Cayucos to the south will chose between incumbent Salud Carbajal and Dr. Brad Allen for District 24, while areas to the north are now in District 19, where incumbent Jimmy Panetta and Jeff Gorman are battling for the seat.
For more information, check out The Tribune’s comprehensive election guide.
Early voter turnout in SLO County
As of Monday, about 30% of registered San Luis Obispo County voters had returned their ballots.
The Elections Office mailed ballots to 182,185 registered voters in SLO County on Oct. 10, but only 54,745 voters had returned them as of Monday, San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano said.
Though more people have voted so far before this election than they did before the June primary, Cano said it’s still a low turnout.
As of Monday, more Democrats had returned their ballots by mail than Republicans.
About 34.8% of the county’s 72,233 Democrats had submitted their ballots, and 28.9% of 64,236 registered Republicans and turned in theirs.
San Luis Obispo County leans to the left, with 6,593 more registered Democrats than Republicans, according to county data.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 10:56 AM.
