SLO County Elections Office mailed its first round of ballots. Did you get 2? Here’s why
Ballots started landing in mailboxes in San Luis Obispo County over the weekend.
Monday was the final day for the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office to mail ballots to all registered voters in the county, the agency said in a news release.
Election Day for the primary is March 5, and voters will have the chance to choose a representative for the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors and judges on the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo, along with picking candidates to progress to the November general election for Congress, president and the state Legislature.
Some voters may receive two ballots in the mail this year — but they can only vote with one, according to San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano.
Here’s how to deal with the two ballots and where to vote in the county.
What to do if you get two ballots?
Folks who re-registered to vote due to a name, address or party affiliation change after Jan. 5 will receive two ballots in the mail this election, according to the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
The California Elections Code required the Clerk-Recorder’s Office to submit the first round of voter data to the ballot printer by Jan. 5, the agency said in a news release.
“Anyone registered at that time was issued a ballot reflecting their registration as of that date,” the news release said.
From Monday to Feb. 21, the Clerk-Recorder’s Office will send updated voter registration data to the ballot printer twice a week — so folks who updated their voter registration after Jan. 5 will soon receive a second ballot in the mail, the news release said.
If you receive a second ballot, destroy the first ballot or return it to the Elections Office in downtown San Luis Obispo or Atascadero.
You will not be able to vote with both ballots.
“If you fall in the camp of recently re-registered voters who receive two ballots, take a second to make sure that you’re voting the ballot you re-registered for,” Cano said in the news release.
If you haven’t received a ballot yet, wait until the end of the week before contacting the Elections Office for a replacement.
“In addition to the impact of recent registration updates, weather and the general process of mail delivery throughout the county mean that ballots won’t hit everyone’s mailbox on exactly the same day,” the news release said.
Voters can check the location of their ballot at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.
Am I registered to vote?
The deadline to register to vote is Feb. 20 in order to cast a ballot for the March primary.
You can check with the California Secretary of State’s Office at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov to see if you are registered.
If you still need to register to vote, you can do so online at covr.sos.ca.gov.
Worried that you’ll miss the deadline? If that happens, you’ll also be able to sign up for conditional voter registration — also known as same-day voter registration — through Election Day.
You can complete conditional voter registration at the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office or a polling place, where you’ll fill out forms and then be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.
To vote for a presidential candidate for the Republican Party, the Green Party or the Peace and Freedom Party, you will have to select that party preference when you register, according to the Elections Office.
Additionally, voters registered with “no party preference” must request a crossover ballot to vote for a presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, American Independent Party or Libertarian Party.
“No party preference” voters can request a crossover ballot at slovote.com/march2024.
How and where to vote
Voters can return their mail-in ballots by mail, at an official ballot drop box, at the county’s election offices in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero or at a polling place on Election Day, according to the release.
The Elections Office will open ballot drop boxes Feb. 5. You can find a list of official drop boxes on the county’s website at bit.ly/4aU6hGg.
The North County Elections Office at 6565 Capistrano Ave. in Atascadero is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will stay open until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
The San Luis Obispo Elections Office at 1055 Monterey St. is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will remain open until 8 p.m. on Election Day. The office will open for early voting on Saturday, March 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
All ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by March 12 to be counted.
