Voting 101
How to vote in San Luis Obispo County
Registering to vote
Registering to vote is quick and easy. In most cases, you can simply register online. Online registration typically closes about two weeks prior to an election BUT California also has “Same Day Registration? This means that you can register to vote in person at a polling location or at the County Clerk’s Office until election day.
To register in California you must:
be a United States citizen
be a resident of California
be at least 18 years old or older on Election Day – Turning 18 on election day? You can vote!
not be currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
not be currently found to be mentally incompetent to vote by a court
Checking your voter status
Don’t know what address you used during registration or other voting information? You can always check your voter status.
Where to vote
There are several ways to vote in SLO County elections. They easiest and quickest way is to vote by mail. In California, vote-by-mails ballots will automatically be sent to you. After you have voted, insert your ballot in the envelope provided and make sure you complete all required information on the envelope.
Returning Your Ballot
You may return your ballot by:
Dropping off your ballot at a drop-off location prior to the close of polls at 8 p.m. on election day.
Return your ballot to any polling place prior to the close of polls at 8 p.m. on election day.
Return your ballot via mail. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted. If you are not sure if it will arrive on time, bring your ballot to any polling or drop-off location.
Voting in Person on Election Day
If you choose to vote in person you may surrender your vote by mail ballot at your polling location. You will be given a new ballot for in person voting.
Tracking your ballot
California offers a free service that allows you to track your vote-by-mail ballot and get a notification when it’s received by your election office.
Voting Questions or Concerns?
Voting FAQ’s
-
Voting early AND tracking your ballot will give you enough time to make sure your ballot is received and gets counted properly. Voting early also helps campaigns focus on getting out the votes for outstanding ballots. Voting early can help our campaigns save money and we can move our efforts toward critical and underserved areas. If you know who you’re voting for, vote ASAP.
-
You may authorize someone to return the ballot on your behalf, as long as they do not get paid on a per ballot basis. In order for your ballot to be counted, you must fill out the authorization section found on the outside of your ballot envelope and they must print and sign their name on the back of the Return Envelope.
-
You can contact the County Clerk Recorder and request a physical registration card. When your vote-by-mail ballot is received by your county elections official, your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature on your voter registration card to ensure they match.
New legislation requires the Election Office to send letters to voters who forgot to sign their return envelope or whose signatures did not match their signatures on file so their ballots can be validated and counted.
The County makes every effort to accept signatures as written. When they cannot reconcile your ballot signature with what they have on file, you will receive a written notification. Once you respond to that notice, your ballot will be counted. If you have concerns, check with the County Clerk prior to returning your ballot to see what they have on file.) To preserve the secrecy of your ballot, the ballot will then be separated from the envelope, and then it will be tallied.
-
Need any help, have any questions? Contact us! We’ll be happy to help you.