San Luis Obispo County will open ballot drop boxes for the 2026 election on Oct. 1, earlier than anticipated. Additionally, the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office completed preparations early, so ballot packets will arrive to voters early as well.
Three ballot drop boxes are stationed in San Luis Obispo. One of the drop boxes is on the second floor of the UU, which is open from 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 8 a.m. to midnight on weekends.
“We just wanted to give our voters a little bit of extra time,” said Erin Clausen, public information officer for the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder. “The legal requirement is that we get the ballots out within 29 days of the election and open the drop-boxes within 30.”
Voters can cast their ballots in person beginning on Oct. 31 at the Election Center.
An election services window will be open at the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Oct. 5 and will remain open through Election Day.
Biological sciences sophomore Gray Olson believes it is important to bring the voting directly to college students.
“If we had to go out of our way to mail in the ballot or go downtown and drop it off, that would be a big barrier for people voting,” Olson said.
The vote-by-mail envelopes have prepaid postage, but dropping them off at one of the ballot boxes saves taxpayers dollars, according to the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
Voting early can also speed up the counting process on Election Day.
The last day to register to vote online is Oct. 19. Late registration must be done in person. To check your registration, check your status and track your ballot, visit the county’s website.