Monday marked the official deadline for California counties to begin mailing ballots to registered voters.
San Luis Obispo County got an early start, sending its first wave of ballots on Sept. 30.
Some voters have already returned their ballots, including Arroyo Grande resident Fred Friedman.
“I’m going to be on vacation out of the country most of October, so I wanted to make sure I got my ballot in before I left,” Friedman said.
San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano said her office has already seen a significant number of ballot returns. She pointed to heavy activity at the ballot drop box outside her office at 1055 Monterey Street.
Cano said voter turnout appears stronger than usual at this point in the election cycle.
“Usually it’s quite slow for the first couple of weeks, and we don’t get a whole lot of ballots back yet, but right now, I’m really excited to see that voters are already coming out and casting their ballots,” Cano said.
For voters who have not yet received a ballot, Cano said there is still time for ballots to arrive.
“Wait until at least Wednesday or Thursday of this week to give our office a call or come down and have a chat with us,” Cano said.
She added that voters who recently updated their voter registration information may experience additional delays.
The county plans to continue mailing ballots over the coming weeks to residents who made last-minute registration changes.
As ballots continue arriving, Cano is also reminding voters about an important feature of this year's election. Because of the number of races on the ballot, voters should expect to receive two ballot cards.
“There will be a Card A and a Card B, with contests on both the front and the back,” Cano said.
Cano said voters are not required to vote in every race. However, she encouraged households with multiple voters to be especially careful when completing and returning ballots.
She warned that accidentally placing two Card A ballots or two Card B ballots in the same return envelope could create problems during the ballot-counting process.
“Because that, of course, could jeopardize their ballots from getting counted,” Cano said.
Starting Monday, voters can visit the Elections Counter on Monterey Street for a variety of services, including voter registration, ballot drop-off and assistance with election-related questions.
Grover Beach resident Laura Handley visited the office on Monday after receiving a ballot in the mail that had a tear.
“The clerks are so nice in there. They just taped it up for me and it was good to go,” Handley said.
The Elections Counter is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday through Election Day. It will also be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31.
A satellite Elections Office in Atascadero is set to open Oct. 26.
