Today is the last day Californians can register to vote by mail for the June 2 primary election.
Ballots are mailed to every active registered voter. Voters can check their voter registration status or register to vote on the California Online Voter Registration website.
If eligible voters do not register today but still wish to vote, they must complete a same-day voter registration ballot at an in-person location. The poll workers then forward the same-day ballots to the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
“We research to make sure that they’re actually eligible, and then we go ahead and process their vote when we determine that they are,” said Erin Clausen, the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office’s public information officer.
Voters can find their polling locations through the San Luis Obispo County polling place lookup. The locations will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 2.
“You can do it online in just a couple of minutes,” Clausen said.
Counties began mailing ballots on May 4, according to the CalMatters 2026 Voting Guide. Clausen said that even if Californians are registered to vote in their home county, they can return their ballot in any San Luis Obispo drop box.
“We will forward it in a timely way, so it gets counted in your home county,” Clausen said.
A vote-by-mail ballot includes a mail ballot and a ballot packet according to Clausen. It includes the voter’s assigned polling location, which they can show up to on June 2, or they can mail the ballot any day prior, according to Clausen.
Regardless of a voter’s party registration, they can vote for any candidate, according to the CalMatters Voting Guide. A voter gets one vote per office but can skip over any part of the ballot. The two candidates with the most votes from each office will continue to run in the November general election.
The three major options for returning a ballot in California are by drop box, in person or by mail.
Clausen encouraged early voting to encourage a smooth process.
“Getting it done if they’re able to ahead of time is going to be great,” Clausen said.