The primary election is nearly here. Where to vote, drop off ballot in SLO County
As California’s primary election approaches, San Luis Obispo County voters have a variety of ways to cast their ballot on several statewide and local races.
Registered voters will have a chance to vote on legislative and congressional seats, county offices and supervisor races, as well as who should be the next governor of California.
California voters have until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, to turn in their ballots.
SLO County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano said turnout so far has been extremely low with only about 20,000 out of 182,000 ballots turned in as of Tuesday.
“I’m really hoping that people still see the importance of voting even when it’s not a presidential (election), because this is who we put at the state level and federal level that’s going to represent the state of California,” she told The Tribune.
Voters can submit their ballots at drop boxes across the county or vote in person at dozens of polling places.
Here’s how and where to vote in SLO County:
Can I still mail my ballot?
Due to a shift in how the U.S. Postal Service operates, voters who live more than 50 miles from a postal hub cannot rely on their mail-in ballots to be postmarked on the day they send it.
San Luis Obispo County’s nearest USPS hub is more than 70 miles away in Goleta.
As a result, Cano recommended voters mail their ballots at least seven days before the June 2 primary election.
If it’s within a week of the election, she said voters can visit the post office and request a same-day postmark on their mail ballot to ensure their ballot is counted.
However, USPS said it is still delivering mail within the same one-to-five day service standard, a spokesperson told The Tribune. The agency recommended voters mail their ballots in ahead of Election Day as a “common-sense measure.”
Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received at SLO County’s elections office within seven days of the election in order to be counted.
“If the USPS doesn’t postmark them as timely, then they get rejected immediately,” Cano previously told The Tribune. “We don’t open them, we don’t process them, nothing.”
Where can I drop off my ballot in SLO County?
If you haven’t mailed your ballot yet, you can also drop it off in person at any of the county’s drop box locations.
Here’s where to go in the North County:
- Atascadero Library, 6555 Capistrano Ave., Atascadero
- Paso Robles City Library, 1000 Spring St., Paso Robles
- San Miguel Community Services District, 1765 Bonita Place, San Miguel
- Santa Margarita Library, 9630 Murphy Ave., Santa Margarita
- Shandon Library, 195 North Second St., Shandon
- Templeton Community Services District, 420 Crocker St., Templeton
In the South County:
- Arroyo Grande City Hall, 300 East Branch St., Arroyo Grande
- Grover Beach City Hall, 154 South Eighth St., Arroyo Grande
- Nipomo Library, 918 West Tefft St., Nipomo
- Oceano Library, 1511 19th St., Oceano
- Pismo Beach City Hall, 760 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach
On the North Coast:
- Cambria Library, 1043 Main St., Cambria
- Cayucos Library, 310 B St., Cayucos
- Los Osos Library, 2075 Palisades, Los Osos
- Morro Bay Library, 625 Harbor St., Morro Bay
In San Luis Obispo:
- Cal Poly, University Union, Second Floor, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo
- San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services, 3433 South Higuera St., San Luis Obispo
- San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, 1055 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo
How to vote in person in SLO County
Registered voters can vote early, in person at the SLO County elections office, at 1055 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
On Tuesday, June 2 — Election Day — there will be 56 polling sites open throughout San Luis Obispo County.
You can find your polling place at slovote.com. All polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Any voter who brings their mail-in ballot to their assigned polling location can exchange it for a poll ballot to vote in person.
Voters who don’t bring their mail ballots can still vote. They will just have to wait while a poll worker calls the elections office to confirm that their mail ballot has not already been returned.
