SLO County voters to soon get ballots for the primary election. Here’s how and where to vote
The primary election is around the corner, and ballots will soon land in voters’ mailboxes.
Election Day is March 5, and the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office will start mailing ballots to all registered voters in the county on Feb. 5, the agency said in a news release.
Voters will have the chance to choose representatives for the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors and the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo, along with picking candidates to progress to the November general election for Congress and president.
County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano reminded voters that the primary election is not just about the presidential election.
“In addition to the presidential primary contests, there are a number of local offices on the ballot, as well as the two separate contests for California’s next U.S. senator,” Cano said in the release.
Am I registered to vote?
The deadline to register to vote is Feb. 20 in order to cast a ballot for the March primary.
You can check if you are registered to vote with the California Secretary of State’s Office at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
If you still need to register to vote, you can do so online at covr.sos.ca.gov.
Worried that you’ll miss the deadline? You’ll also be able to sign up for conditional voter registration — also known as same-day voter registration — until Election Day.
You can complete conditional voter registration at the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office, a polling place or a vote center where you’ll fill out forms and then be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.
To vote for a presidential candidate for the Republican Party, the Green Party or the Peace and Freedom Party, you will have to select that party preference when you register to vote, according to the Elections Office.
Additionally, voters registered with “no party preference” must request a cross-over ballot to vote for a presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, American Independent Party or Libertarian Party.
No party preference voters can request a cross-over ballot at slovote.com/march2024.
How and where to vote
Voters can return their mail-in ballots by mail, at an official ballot drop box, at the county’s election offices in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero or at a polling place on Election Day, according to the release.
The Elections Office will open ballot drop boxes Feb. 5. You can find a list of official drop boxes on the county’s website at bit.ly/4aU6hGg.
The North County Elections Office at 6565 Capistrano Ave. in Atascadero is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will stay open until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
The San Luis Obispo Elections Office, at 1055 Monterey St., is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will remain open until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
All ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by March 12 to be counted.
