California approved Prop. 50. How did SLO County vote?
California voters approved the sole ballot measure on Tuesday’s Special Election to temporarily redraw the state’s congressional district boundaries, with San Luis Obispo County also supporting the change, which would give five Democratic candidates a leg up in next year’s mid-term elections.
The campaign for Proposition 50 was championed and framed by Gov. Gavin Newsom as a Democratic effort to fight back against the Trump administration and to counter Republican-favored redistricting in Texas.
The Associated Press called the statewide race on Election night, but San Luis Obispo County is still counting up its votes.
“I am very pleased with how yesterday’s election went,” Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano told The Tribune. “We experienced no major issues, and we saw voters turn out to make their voices heard — which is the most important part of this work.”
How did SLO County vote on Prop. 50?
As of Tuesday morning, 56.2% of SLO County voters had cast their ballots in favor of Prop. 50, and 43.8% voted against it, according to the county’s Election Office.
The margin was slimmer in SLO County than across the state. Statewide results Wednesday morning showed 63.8% of voters approving Prop. 50 to 36.2% against.
The local numbers represent 81,264 votes, less than half of the county’s registered voters. Of these votes, 4,535 were cast at the polls and 76,729 were ballots returned by mail or dropped off at drop boxes.
That represents about 41% of mail-in-ballots that were issued having been returned and processed — about the same return rate as the 2024 election, the Elections’ Office posted on Facebook.
SLO County is placed fifth for highest ballot return rate in the state, after Sierra, Plumas, Amador and Marin counties, the post said.
The city that returned the most ballots was Pismo Beach, with a 49% return rate, the post said. Just next door, the city with the lowest rate of return was Grover Beach with 36%. Morro Bay came in a close second at 48%, then Arroyo Grande at 45%, followed by San Luis Obispo with 39% and Paso Robles and Atascadero tied for 38%.
It is unclear how many ballots have yet to be counted, but the county will continue to receive ballots in the mail postmarked by Election Day and process poll ballots over the coming days and weeks.
The tense race resulted in a relatively high voter turnout rate of 44.6% in SLO County as of election night, compared to a 35% statewide turnout as of 4:20 a.m. on Wednesday, the morning after the election.
In response to the Democratic win, President Donald Trump called for a “very serious legal and criminal review” of California’s mail-in ballot results. The Justice Department was recruited before the election to monitor California’s canvass until Thursday.
“As always, our elections are conducted in accordance with federal and state law, with multiple layers of security, verification and public transparency built into every step of the process,” Cano said. “Vote-by-mail has long been a secure and widely-used option in California, and every ballot, regardless of how it is cast, is subject to rigorous eligibility and signature verification procedures.”
“We remain focused on ensuring that every eligible vote is counted accurately and that the process remains fair, accessible and trustworthy for all voters.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 10:56 AM.
