Every California voter should be receiving a ballot in the mail this week for the upcoming election happening on June 7.
Ballot drop-off boxes also open on Monday at 8 a.m.
San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano told KSBY, “I think that our county voters here predominantly, are already vote-by-mail. There's a small percentage of them that are still what we consider poll voters, and so they still come out and like to vote at the polls.”
In a non-presidential election, turnout is often lower. However, the goal is to have at least a 70% voter turnout, according to Cano.
The county urges people to make sure they cover everything on the ballot before sending it in, as there are more materials in the ballot this year.
“There are over 140 candidates on our ballot this time, which has created a two-card ballot. So there will be candidates posted on the front and the back of both sides of the ballot,” Cano said.
In the 2020 Presidential Election, almost 65% of SLO County residents voted by mail, and more than 95% voted by mail during the California Gubernatorial Recall Election. However, both of those elections happened during the COVID-19 pandemic and with respective restrictions.
“There's over about 60 polling places. And I want to say there's 18 ballot drop-box locations and the ballot boxes will be open as of Monday, May 9 and they will be open through Election Day,” Cano said.
The polling places will only be open on Election Day. If a voter does not receive a ballot in the mail, you can contact the county here.
The offices of Clerk-Recorder in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties are up for election this June.
In SLO County, Elaina Cano was appointed to the position and is being challenged by Stewart David Jenkins and James Arthur Baugh.
In Santa Barbara County, Elrawd MacLearn is running against current Clerk-Recorder Joseph Holland.
