San Luis Obispo County voters who want to cast their ballot before Election Day have an opportunity to do so this Saturday.
The SLO County Elections Office will be open Saturday, May 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the County Government Center for early, in-person voting ahead of the June 2 Statewide Direct Primary Election.
Voters can have their signature verified on the spot, allowing them to vote and cast their ballot at the counter without a return envelope. Ballots cast in person at the office will be counted on Election Night.
"We're excited to be able to offer this new voting option," said Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano. "Importantly, ballots cast in person at our office will be counted on Election Night, just like the ballots cast at the polls. Voting this way means that your vote is included in those Election Night results, not added to the total in the days afterward."
The new process replaces a previous system that required ballots cast at the Elections Office to be returned in a sealed and signed envelope, which had to be scanned and verified before ballots could be extracted, processed, and tabulated.
The streamlined approach also comes as a new law effective January 1, 2026, requires the vast majority of mail ballots to be processed and counted within 13 days of the election.
Voters still have other options available, including dropping a mail ballot in any official drop box, surrendering it at any polling location, or exchanging it for a precinct ballot at their assigned polling place on Election Day.
Voters are encouraged to bring their mail ballot to the Elections Office, but it is not required. Staff can void the mail ballot and issue a replacement on site.
Cano said she hopes the Saturday hours will encourage more voters to act before Tuesday.
"It will mean more comprehensive Election Night results and a faster path to getting all of the ballots counted and reported," Cano said.
