Post Office warns SLO County voters to mail their ballots back a week early

Ballots for the statewide special election have been sent out in San Luis Obispo County, and if you’re planning to vote by mail, you should do so sooner rather than later.

By sooner, that means at least a week before Election Day.

That was the advice given to SLO County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano by the U.S. Postal Service.

Under new postal service policies, mail dropped off more than 50 miles from a regional process center won’t be picked up and postmarked until at least the following day. SLO County’s hub is in Goleta, which is more than 50 miles away from any county resident.

Fortunately, the ballot will be simple to complete, because voters only have to decide one question, Proposition 50, which seeks to allow the boundaries of California’s congressional districts to be redrawn. SLO County’s district boundaries would not be impacted.

The warning to mail ballots back early is more explicit than in past years, when voters could mail their ballots on Election Day and still receive a postmark.

This year, Cano said the Postal Service cannot guarantee any SLO County ballots mailed after Oct. 28 will be counted.

However, the Postal Service said the federal government shutdown will not affect ballot distribution or collection services, even if the shutdown lasts through the election, because the independent entity is not funded by tax dollars. All post offices will remain open for business as usual.

“I would just encourage people to vote as soon as possible,” Cano said.

Election Day is Nov. 4.

Postal service warns SLO County residents to mail ballots early

Normally, mailed ballots are valid so long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day, but the Postal Service’s policies mean mail from SLO County — over 50 miles away from the closest process center in Goleta — won’t receive a postmark until the next day. This means if you mail your ballot on Election Day, your vote won’t count.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta advised Californian’s voting by mail to do so “a day, or a few days, before” Election Day. The Postal Service recommended doing so a whole week in advance.

The new rules apply to all ballots sent from personal or postal service mailboxes. Residents who plan to vote by mail but miss the Oct. 28 deadline should bring their ballot into their local post office in-person to get their ballot hand stamped to ensure it gets counted, Cano said.

Vote-by-mail ballots taken to drop boxes before and on Election Day will still count, as those are collected by the county elections office.

Ballots were mailed out on Oct. 3 — three days earlier than required — so residents can expect them to arrive at their homes in the coming days if they haven’t already, Cano said.

What if I want to vote in person?

Voting in person is always an encouraged option, but Cano said it might look different for some voters this year.

Due to the last-minute nature of the special election, the county was not able to secure as many poll locations as in a regular year, so some voters may be assigned to a different precinct than they are used to.

SLO County had 67 polling locations in 2024. This election, there will only be 45.

Additionally, the elections office is still short a few poll workers in the North County. Three volunteers are still needed for the San Miguel and Shandon precincts, the latter of which closed mid-day on Election Day last year due to a staffing shortage.

The North County elections office — located at 6565 Capistrano Ave. in Atascadero — will also only be open starting one week before Election Day this year, instead of for the month prior.

Those who go to a polling location different from their assigned precinct on Election Day will still be able to vote, but they will have to cast a provisional ballot, which takes longer and more work for the elections office to confirm on the back end, slowing the reporting of elections results.

Cano warned anyone planning to vote in person to double-check their assigned poll location before Nov. 4. Voters can also check their precinct online or call the county elections office at 805-781-5080.

How will votes be counted?

Any mailed or drop box ballots will be counted first beginning on Oct. 23 and running through Nov. 1 as they are received by the elections office.

The first 8 p.m. vote drop on election day — when polls close — will represent all the ballots counted in that week before the election, Cano said. Subsequent counts will be from the polls that day, and updates will continue daily after Election Day until all votes are counted.

This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 3:43 PM.

Chloe Shrager

The Tribune

(805) 781-7809

Chloe Shrager is the courts and crimes reporter for The Tribune. She grew up in Palo Alto, California, and graduated from Stanford with a B.A. in Political Science. When not writing, she enjoys surfing, backpacking, skiing and hanging out with her cat, Billy Goat.