Elaina Cano grabs big lead in race for SLO County clerk-recorder, first results show
Elaina Cano jumped out to a sizable early lead in the race for San Luis Obispo County clerk-recorder, the first release of vote totals on Tuesday night showed.
As of 8:30 p.m., with only the initial count of early mail-in ballots tallied, Cano led with 63.6% of the vote, followed by Vanessa Rozo with 25.5% and Gaea Powell with 10.8%.
The clerk-recorder is the top elections official in SLO County, in charge of voter registration, coordinating poll workers, overseeing ballot tabulation and reporting race results.
The nonpartisan office is also in charge of county records and documents, including marriage licenses, birth and death certificates and property recordings.
Cano, the incumbent, has held the seat since 2021. She’s opposed by Rozo, a local business owner and paralegal from Grover Beach, and Powell, a former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate who currently faces a trial for eight felony charges of election and voter fraud.
If one of the candidates secures more than 50% of the vote, they win the seat outright. However, if none of the candidates secure a majority vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November.
The vote tallies are subject to shift in the days ahead as the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office processes more ballots.
The deadline for county elections officials to certify election results is July 2.
