Voting on Election Day? Your SLO County polling place might have moved due to staff shortage
During Tuesday’s primary election, some residents in Los Osos and Oceano will need to vote at a different polling place than the one that is listed on their mail-in ballot, according to the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office.
The Elections Office consolidated two precincts with others nearby due to a staffing shortage, the agency announced in a news release Sunday.
The Elections Office planned to operate 120 precincts at 70 different polling locations, according to the release. Each precinct must be staffed by at least one inspector and two clerks, the news release said.
A few precinct workers told the Elections Office that they are no longer available to serve on Election Day — causing the agency to combine two precincts with their neighboring precincts.
“We rely heavily on those members of our community who step up and staff the polls on Election Day,” San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano said in the release. “Those friends and neighbors are just like the rest of us, though, and sometimes things happen. When they do, we have to adjust and modify plans so that every location is adequately staffed. The ultimate goal is that every voter who chooses to vote at the polls has the support they need and has a positive voting experience.”
The Elections Office had a more challenging time that usual recruiting poll workers this year, Cano said.
Typically, the Elections Office prefers to recruit four workers per precinct.
But during this election cycle, the office even had a difficult time recruiting the minimum three workers required per precinct, according to the release.
Cano said she understands that working at the polls “is not a small commitment,” as precinct inspectors are required to attend training for their role, while clerks “are strongly encouraged to,” the release said.
“We’re extremely grateful to those who have prepared and will be out there assisting voters on Tuesday,” Cano said. “We often point out that Elections is the smallest department in local government until Election Day, when it briefly becomes one of the biggest. That’s all due to the commitment of our local community members.”
Which polling places are being combined?
In Los Osos, precinct 213 will be consolidated with precinct 214, the Elections Office said.
Instead of being located at Monarch Grove Elementary School, the precinct will be located at Trinity United Methodist Church at 490 Los Osos Valley Road.
In Oceano, precinct 411 was supposed to be located at the Oceano Community Center. Instead, it will join precincts 412 and 413 at the Rancho Del Arroyo Mobile Home Park Clubhouse at 2700 Cienaga St.
Voters can find their precinct listed on their mail-in ballot or online at bit.ly/3T4U6y4.
This story was originally published March 4, 2024 at 12:06 PM.
