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A look into the June 2 Primaries

Live Updates

Hilton and Becerra likely to move on to November ballot, with majority of votes counted

9:30 p.m.

Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Beccera seem well positioned to move on to the November ballot, as the pair has lead the vote count consistently since it began at 8 p.m.

Now, with 51.8% of the vote in, Hilton leads the race with 26.6%, followed by Beccera who has 25.9% of the current votes.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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Hilton and Becerra lead with 42.0% of the vote counted

8:58 p.m.

Republican Steve Hilton leads the race with 26.6%, followed closely by Democrat Xavier Beccera who has 26.0% of the current votes.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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Hilton takes the lead with 27.8% of the vote counted

8:46 p.m.

Republican Steve Hilton leads the race with 26.2%, neck and neck with Democrat Xavier Beccera who has 26.1% of the current votes.

Next is Democrat Tom Steyer with 19.5% of the vote. Republican Chad Bianco has fallen to 11.8%.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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Hilton takes the lead with 27.8% of the vote counted

8:46 p.m.

Republican Steve Hilton leads the race with 26.2%, neck and neck with Democrat Xavier Beccera who has 26.1% of the current votes.

Next is Democrat Tom Steyer with 19.5% of the vote. Republican Chad Bianco has fallen to 11.8%.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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Dawn Addis leads District 30 Assembly race, despite trailing with SLO County voters

8:45 p.m.

With 40.1% of the vote counted, incumbent Democrat Dawn Addis leads the total District 30 state Assembly race with 51.7% of voter support so far, though she trailed in SLO County’s polls. Republican Shannon Kessler has 40.0% of the vote.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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Rep. Salud Carbajal leads U.S. House primary

8:39 p.m.

Incumbent Democrat Salud Carbajal leads the initial vote count with 53.2% and 39,405 votes. Republican Bob Smith follows with 40.0% of the vote so far with 29,653 votes.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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Beccera takes lead for governor’s race

Democrat Xavier Becerra took the lead in polling with 26.4% of the vote over Republican Steve Hilton’s 25.7%. Only 12.7% of the state’s votes are reported as of 8:31 p.m.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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First unofficial results for SLO County are released

8:32 p.m.

SLO County voters heavily favored Republican Steve Hilton in initial, unofficial vote counts. Hilton received 10,051 votes so far, which about 66% higher than the 6,643 votes that runner-up Democrat Xavier Beccera received. Next up for SLO County was Democrat Tom Steyer with 5,702 over fourth place Republican Chad Bianco with 4,642 votes.

For the District 30 California Assembly race, Republican Shannon Kessler received the most votes at 12,859 from SLO County, more than incumbent Democrat Dawn Addis by a slim 600 votes.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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Initial vote counts reported

8:16 p.m.

With 11.3% of votes reported at 8:10 p.m., Republican Steve Hilton leads the polls with 27.7% and 237,180 votes. Democrat Xavier Beccera is next with 24.9% of votes thus far.

After that, Democrat Tom Steyer accrued 18.5% so far and Republican Chad Bianco is in fourth with 13.6%.

— Carly Heltzel, News Editor

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Just in the nick of time

8 p.m.

During the final moments of the polls, car and foot traffic dies down in front of the Clerk-Recorder’s Office. Poll workers cheer and clap, announcing that voting has closed.

Psychology senior Jane Culbreath said that she lost her ballot and found it in the nick of time to vote today.

Looking for a change in California politics, biochemistry senior Winstead-Leroy came with Culbreath to bring his ballot downtown. He said he drops off his ballots in person every election because it is easier to remember to vote in person.

Culbreath and Winstead-Leroy agreed that it was hard to find information on local candidates.

“There was a lot of school superintendent positions that I didn’t necessarily have information by anyone or heard about,” Winstead-Leroy said.

They also expressed that they both felt overwhelmed by the amount of names for governor. Nevertheless, Culbreath said she voted because of how important the process is to her.

“Nothing’s ever going to change if you don’t get your voice out there and take your opportunity to vote,” Culbreath said.

— Avery Phillips, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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Polls are closed

8 p.m.

Thank you for sticking around with us today and gaining insight on how Cal Poly students are involved in the California Primary Election. Stay tuned for results and more going into the week.

— Archana Pisupati, Editor in Chief

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‘Our kids, who are 18 and 20, voted, and they reminded us’

7:46 p.m.

By the evening, activity at the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office had slowed to a crawl, with fewer cars arriving and longer stretches between visitors. While walking from happy hour to a movie downtown, San Luis Obispo residents Rick Chapman and Leslie Chapman stopped near the voting center after noticing the barricades surrounding the area.

“There’s definitely tense times,” Chapman said. “I think one of the consistent things we have is the ability to vote and feel comfortable doing that. I don’t really love those barricades right there. That makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Despite their concerns about the barricades, they said they were encouraged by their children.

“Our kids, who are 18 and 20, voted, and they reminded us,” Chapman said. “That was encouraging. It’s great to see young people caring about the vote.”

Chapman believes voting should remain accessible to all.

“I want to vote, I want to have a voice, and I want everyone to be able to vote,” he said. “I don’t want people to feel intimidated.”

— Kaitlyn Le, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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Help the people you think should be in power

7:45 p.m.

Cars are constantly pulling up to the curbside drop-off to submit their ballots. As the sun sets, individuals and groups of people are walking down Monterey Street out of shops and away from downtown, many with a ballot in their hands.

Samuel Rothstein is a Cal Poly graduate who has been voting in local elections every since he was eligible. Today, he walked up to the Clerk-Recorder’s Office to drop off his mail-in ballot.

“There are a lot of people I definitely don’t want in power, so I got a responsibility to help the people I think should be in power.”

— Avery Phillips, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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The amount of voters has died down since 7 p.m. 

Voters have declined to comment. A few students have stopped at the ballot boxes to read what’s on them, then continue with their day.

— Joscelyn Martinez, reporting from the UU

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Tune into KCPR from 7 to 8 p.m.

Driving to the polls? Get an update from our KCPR News team every 15 minutes by tuning into 91.3 FM.

— Archana Pisupati, Editor in Chief

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Traffic is picking up at the PAC

7 p.m.

Voting traffic has started to pick up again at the PAC entrance. Dozens of students have walked into the building over the past twenty minutes.

One of these voters was Max Jensen, an environmental earth and soil sciences freshman who chose to vote in person because his ballot was sent to his home address in Fresno.

“I didn’t get one here, so I just decided why not?” he said.

Jensen said he took voting for granted before he was 18, but he now finds it to be a civic duty.

“If there are things going on that you don’t like, you need to challenge those.”

— Avery Phillips, reporting from the PAC

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‘I hear more about national news than California News’

6:55 p.m.

Around  6:30 there were no voters for almost ten minutes. Then the pace began to pick up at the ballot box with almost six voters per minute. 

One of those voters was Karl Aannestad, a electrical engineering sophomore. He felt that he knew more about the national government, even with state elections going on. 

“I would say I hear more about national news than California News,” Aannestad stand. He claimed that national news was more relevant to the world as whole. 

Aannestad still stressed how important voting was and thanked Cal Poly for making voting accessible. 

“I am a person who likes to think that voting and politics are important,” Aannestad said. “So that’s why I am grateful.”

— Joscelyn Martinez, reporting from the UU

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‘I tried to support people I felt would fight for what people need’

6:50 p.m.

Cal Poly freshmen Evelyn Martinez and Andrea Michel stopped by the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office to cast their ballots after nearly forgetting to vote while on their way to see Obsession at Downtown Centre Cinemas in downtown San Luis Obispo.

Martinez is from Los Angeles County and said this was her second time voting and her first gubernatorial, mayoral and judicial election.

“I’m really glad to be voting and hopefully see a positive change,” Martinez said.

Michel said issues surrounding immigration enforcement, reproductive healthcare access and public funding priorities influenced her vote. She said she looked for candidates who she felt would better represent underrepresented communities and invest in programs that support students and families.

“I looked at the candidates and issues and tried to support people I felt represented my community and would fight for what people need,” Michel said.

— Kaitlyn Le, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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‘Super easy’: Vehicle drop off line eases voting

6:38 p.m.

Traffic at the recorder’s office has about three to five cars arriving every five minutes and occasional stretches with no vehicles at all. Anthropology and geography senior Annabelle Sweeney arrived with a friend parked in the red zone to drop off their ballots.

“I just feel like voting is one of the things we can do. Everyone should care, everyone should be engaged, and at least try a little bit. It’s almost the least you can do is just come and vote. It’s super easy and only takes about 10 minutes,” Sweeney said.

— Kaitlyn Le, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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In-person voting as a back-up for lost ballots

6:28 p.m.

While the majority of voters have walked in with a ballot in their hands, child development freshman Scarlett Martinez chose to vote in person.

“I lost my mail-in ballot, so I was like, yeah, let’s just do this in person,” she said.

She was surprised to find that she’d be voting on a computer in person and noted that a lot of people hadn’t chosen that option.

She said that especially when it comes to state elections, she wants to do her part as a U.S. citizen and vote on something that impacts all of California.

— Avery Phillips, reporting from the PAC

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Steady stream of voters drop ballots at UU

6:27 p.m.

There has been a consistent and steady amount of voters dropping their ballots off here at the UU. 

Some students have walked past the ballot boxes with curious expressions.

— Joscelyn Martinez, reporting from the UU

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Monterey Street sees voter traffic

5:50 p.m.

Voting at the Recorder’s Office has brought steady traffic throughout this hour. Cars typically arrive in waves, with about five vehicles pulling in at a time. On average so far, between four to eight cars arrive each five minutes to drop off their ballots curbside. There is also a consistent flow of pedestrians, with approximately three people arriving on foot per minute. Overall, the area has experienced heavy traffic along Monterey Street.

— Kaitlyn Le, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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Let’s hang out and vote!

5:32 p.m.

More students have started to flow in and out of the doors with ballots in their hands.

Art and design freshman Mick Inrig and general engineering freshman Kay Nguyen are a part of an entire friend group who came together to drop off their ballots.

The freshmen shared that they had positive experiences at the polling place.

“It was pretty quick. It was straightforward, and the people there were very helpful,” Nguyen said.

Inrig voted by mail and said they had to do some research beforehand.

“I hadn’t heard of some of the candidates, especially the more local ones,” Inrig said.

— Avery Phillips, reporting from the PAC

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Traffic is steady at the Clerk-Recorder

5:45 p.m.

Voting at the Recorder’s Office has brought steady traffic throughout this hour. Cars typically arrive in waves, with about five vehicles pulling in at a time. On average so far, between four to eight cars arrive each five minutes to drop off their ballots curbside. There is also a consistent flow of pedestrians, with approximately three people arriving on foot per minute. Overall, the area has experienced heavy traffic along Monterey Street.

— Kaitlyn Le, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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The best antidote for apathy syndrome

5:42

Freshmen biomedical engineering major Harper Cummings and liberal studies major Ciara Mosbat have both been registered to vote for around a year now and believe it is key for our generation to participate.

“I feel like it’s the best antidote for apathy syndrome,” Cummings said. “It can feel really powerless to just be a full-time college student and you want to be doing more.”

Mosbat agreed with Cummings and said voting is a simple way for our voices to be heard and to make a change in the world.

The two also found the process of voting to be extremely easy since the ballot box was just a quick minute walk from where they live.

— Nishita Mukherjee, reporting from the UU

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‘It’s especially for young people’

5:27 p.m.

Business administration junior Levi Armero believed voting is important, “I think it’s especially for young people to do that because there is such a low turnout,” Armero said. “So I think it’s important for them to voice their opinions so that policymakers consider us when making their choices.”

Armero believes there is such a low turnout because of potential lack of information or interest in the younger population, and “because they don’t understand how much it affects you in our day-to-day lives.”

— Nishita Mukherjee, reporting from the UU

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Plant Ivy plants a voting seed

5:11 p.m.

Ivy Alvarado, owner of  popular food truck spot on Cal Poly Plant Ivy, wrote a message on her sign that encouraged patrons to vote in today’s primary election. 

“I’m pretty excited actually [about this election],” Alvarado said. “I feel a little nervous, but I am excited.” 

She expressed how important this election was for her and how students should vote.

— Joscelyn Martinez, reporting from the PAC

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‘I don’t really like the direction that California is going in’

5:07 p.m.

Voting numbers have slowed down at the PAC with minimal foot traffic and few cars pulling up to the loop.

Anabella Campos, an anthropology and geography freshman, said she pre-registered to vote in high school and has been voting in every election she can.

“I don’t really like the direction that California is going in, and I think it’s important that everybody votes for representatives that they feel are going to enact the policies they want to see, the changes they want to see.”

— Avery Phillips, reporting from the PAC

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A steady stream of cars and a sticker prize

5:04 p.m.

— Makena Locsin, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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Traffic is slow at the UU

5 p.m.

UU voter traffic is starting to diminish, with just around 10 voters coming in during the last 30 minutes. Still mostly students who are wrapping up their school days.

— Nishita Mukherjee, reporting from the UU

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‘Being on a college campus, it can be easy to be sheltered from certain issues going on’

4:34 p.m.

The pace of voters coming into the UU is still about the same, around a couple voters coming every five minutes. Now many students are starting to wrap up their classes for the day and are stopping by before heading home.

Current sophomore math majors Jack Beard and Caden Rodgers took their time today to individually go through the ballots fully and make their decisions on the candidates before turning their ballots into the drop off box at the UU.

“I think it’s important to voice your opinion,” Beard said. “Because these are things that directly affect us.”

Beard also explained that sometimes being on a college campus it can be easy to be sheltered from certain issues going on, which is why research and knowledge of elections is important.

“This was one of my first times voting,” Rodgers explained. “So I wanted to make sure that I did it right. I had to make sure that I knew the people I was going to vote for.”

— Nishita Mukherjee, reporting from the UU

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‘If you want that, you should run yourself’

4:26 p.m.

Senior economics major Amber Chow decided to vote today due to understanding that it is important to participate in diplomacy.

 “Every single person has a voice, and sometimes it’s hard to feel represented but it is also hard to be represented if you are not sharing your voice,” Chow said.

While in general Chow found the voting process to be mostly simple, there was some confusion on where she could drop off her ballot on campus and the specific spots.

When deciding on candidates, Chow described that it is hard to find a candidate that perfectly is able to represent every aspect of what she is looking for in a candidate.

However Chow said, “If you want that, you should run yourself.” “I think whoever I voted for they’re definitely gonna do as much as they can to represent me.”

— Nishita Mukherjee, reporting from the UU

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Volunteers guide voters to the correct ballot drop-off location

4:03 p.m.

— Makena Locsin, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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PAC sees steady voter engagement

4:06 p.m.

Traffic started to increase at the PAC but has since gone down since then. Approximately three cars entered the wrap-around lot every five minutes.

During that time cars began to line up in the front. There was an influx of vehicles pulling into the PAC lot to drop off their mail-in ballots that has since settled down.

— Joscelyn Martinez, reporting from the PAC

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Voters are slowing in the late afternoon

4:12 p.m.

Voters are slowing down a bit with a couple people coming in every few minutes. Mostly students still with a couple staff and community members. Many are stopping by in a hurry, mostly in-between classes or meetings.

Junior public health major Laura Byrne feels that voting is important civic engagement. “Especially at the local level, that’s where we come back for a lot of change,” she said.

— Nishita Mukherjee, reporting from the UU

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Many freshmen were excited about the convenience of on-campus voting

4:09 p.m.

Julia Faber, a nutrition freshman, voted for the second time ever in her life today, the first being for California’s Proposition 50 last November.

This year, she took more time to learn about the issues on the ballot.

“I learned this time to give myself more time to research,” said Faber.

Faber specifically looked into who endorsed each candidate, where they received their funding from and who was leading in the polls (to give her vote to a candidate likely to win), all of which she values in a candidate.

Like previous voters before her, Faber felt that Cal Poly could have done more to inform students that they could vote in the PAC.

“I did not know that they had [voting at the PAC],” said Faber. “I thought I would have to go downtown.”

— Seth Pintar, reporting from the PAC

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Same day registration is still available at polling locations

4 p.m.

Isha Kale, a public health junior, said today’s election “slipped” her mind, but she always tries to vote. She forgot her mail-in ballot at home, but she said she realized there are no same-day voter registration for primary elections.

Same day voter registration is available at polling locations, according to the California Secretary of State website.

“I’d forgotten that I was going to be on campus all day, so I was trying to look for same day voter registration,” Kale said. “I think they usually have them for the general elections, but they didn’t for the primaries. My roommate was actually coming to campus and so she ended up just bringing it over for me so I could quickly do that.”

Kale says she receives her mail-in ballot because she is registered to vote.

“Since coming to school here, I have changed my residential address from the Bay Area to here,” Kale said.

— Kaylie Wang, reporting from the UU

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One resident always votes at the same booth

3:38 p.m.

For resident Nicki Edwards, voting is a matter of tradition.

“I always vote,” Edwards said.

Edwards shared that she almost always votes at the same booth, and said that she felt she “needed to walk down to the box and do it today.”

— Makena Locsin, reporting from the PAC

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Professor says campaign ads felt ‘a little more nasty’ this election

3:42 p.m.

Greg Bohr, social sciences and geography professor at Cal Poly, highlighted the importance of the state governor position in this election. 

“This election seems pretty important to us in particular,” Bohr said.

Meg Streiff, a social sciences faculty member at Cal Poly, agreed with Bohr. 

“Yea the governor of California has a lot of power, and a lot of influence on you know, the nation’s politics,” Streiff said. 

Bohr and Streiff noticed that they felt the campaign ads this year were more “nasty” than usual. 

“I felt like the TV ads were a little more dirty for this election, a little more nasty,” Bohr said.

— Joscelyn Martinez, reporting from the PAC

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Voter prefers security of in-person voting

3:35 p.m.

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— Parker Cinque, reporting from the PAC

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Student struggled to find good information about candidates

3:40 p.m.

Civil engineering freshman Saranziya Rice-Conner is voting for the second time. As the daughter of two school teachers in San Diego, she finds the process of voting for California’s Governor to be very important as it impacts her and her family.

Relatively Rice-Conner found it easy to vote.

“I got the mail in, and switching my voter address to campus was super easy,” she said.

However finding information about candidates was a difficulty she experienced especially during this election. Similarly, John-O Roberts, coordinator for Center for Leadership, on campus found a similar issue with gaining enough information on local candidates. However, he still found it important to vote for this election and every election.

“I think everybody should be voting,” Roberts said. “I like dropping off my ballot in person too, it’s nice that the box is maybe 23 feet away from my office and I can just drop it off.”

— Nishita Mukherjee, reporting from the UU

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Sun is out, voters are out

3:34 p.m.

A San Luis Obispo native who preferred to be unnamed said that he came out to vote because he “believes in democracy.”

As the afternoon sun picks up, the steady trickle of voters continue to stream in. Voters young and old have made their way downtown, with many dropping off ballots in their cars.

— Makena Locsin, reporting from the PAC

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Students don’t feel informed enough about election

3:33 p.m.

Michelle Salazar and Paola Candelario, construction management juniors, thought a better job could have been done to inform them about voting in this election.

Salazar believed both news outlets and the local government could have done a better job informing them about the candidates on the ballot. She felt that the election “did not get the same attention as a presidential election.”

Candelario believed Cal Poly should have done more to inform students about how best to vote. She said she did not know until today that the PAC would be open to voting.

— Seth Pintar, reporting from the PAC

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California’s elections to impact the national stage

3:19 p.m.

Guthrie Barrett, first year city regional planning major, said that what motivated him to vote in this election was his care for California. His first time voting was for the Prop 50 election.

“I feel like especially because California is such a big state, it kind of has a similar sway to presidential elections because it’s the biggest state,” Barrett said.

— Joscelyn Martinez, reporting from the PAC

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Short lines form at the PAC ballot drop off

3:17 p.m.

A line formed as four students went to drop off their ballots and take pictures of the process.

Shaan Sandhu, a mechanical engineering junior, said his decision to drop off his mail-in ballot is because of his family.

“I always get my ballot mailed to me, it’s just how my family’s always done it,” Sandhu said. “Just fill it out at home and then just do it that way. I feel like it’s easiest that way too. You don’t have to go physically into a place. You can just kind of do it at your own pace whenever you get time and feel like it.”

Sandhu said his mom influenced him to always vote.

“I usually vote for all the elections,” Sandhu said. “Since I was a kid, my mom’s always pushed me to always vote. It’s our right. Exercise our right and people in other places in the world don’t have that. We do, so don’t take it for granted.”

“Just go out and vote,” Sandhu said. “Use your right, man.”

— Kaylie Wang, reporting from the PAC

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Care for California

3:07 p.m.

The pace of voters within the UU is definitely picking up as classes are ending and study sessions are starting. More students are filling up the UU, and many of them are voting before settling in or after they are done studying. So far most of the voters have been students with just a few community members stopping by.

According to biochemistry freshman Addison Hunt, “I think that it’s important for everybody to vote,” Hunt said.”Especially with how easy it is these days, like this is just a three-minute walk from dorm and I drop off my ballot.”

— Nishita Mukherjee, reporting from the UU

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‘We agreed to disagree’

3:05 p.m.

Mitzel Dodge, a journalism sophomore, was outside the PAC this election day.

She voted by mail, picking up her ballot from Pacheco Post. Dodge felt confident and found the process easy.

Dodge filled in her votes alongside their friend. She found it lengthy and fun to talk with her friend about the candidates they favored. While they disagreed on some issues, Dodge and her friend kept the dialogue cool and respectful.

“On a few, we agreed to disagree,” Dodge said.

Dodge said they started by identifying beliefs they shared and building towards what they saw as most important.

— Seth Pintar, reporting from the PAC

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New voters researched candidates, but still felt uninformed

3 p.m.

Mira Shomar, an architecture freshman, said she received her mail-in ballot from her parents because it was shipped to her home.

“I actually didn’t know [the drop boxes] were here,” Shomar said. “I saw them yesterday when I came.”

“I think it’s my first time for local [elections] because I just turned 18 last year. But I do usually always go when I get that mail-in ballot.”

Julia Gaab, an environmental management and protection freshman, said dropping off her ballot at the UU was more convenient because she did not have to wait in line at the PAC.

“I just did a little bit of research,” Gaab said. “I filled in some candidates. Some of them I left blank because I just didn’t know who to vote for. And then I just did the main ones. The most important ones to me were like the governor and [superintendent of public instruction], so I filled those out.

“This will be my first time, and I’m gonna continue voting,” Gaab said, who recently turned 18.

— Kaylie Wang, reporting from the PAC

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‘Use Google’…or Mustang News for all things election related

2:42 p.m.

Lena Roberts, who’s checking in voters in the PAC today, spoke with Mustang News about what she is seeing on this primary election day.

Roberts described the turnout as slower than she anticipated today, saying she has only checked in “maybe ten people.”

“I thought it was going to be packed today,” said Roberts.

Roberts also recommended to “use Google” to check where their nearest polling place is, where they are registered to vote, and whether their district was moved to be prepared. For those with unanswered questions, Roberts insisted that voters ask the people manning the front desk at the PAC for help.

“Just vote,” said Roberts when asked for further comment.

— Seth Pintar, reporting from the PAC

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Mail-in ballot? More like in-trash ballot

2:30 p.m.

— Parker Cinque, reporting from the PAC

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The UU ballot box gets emptied for the second time

2:31 p.m.

Since 1:55 p.m., around a dozen people have come in to drop off their ballots.

Angela Hor, architectural engineering sophomore, said the voting process “was really smooth” because the drop box is on campus.

“I think this was the first time I voted in SLO,” Hor said.

Two ballot retriever officials collected ballots at 2:25 p.m. at the UU. A student dropped off a ballot during this process. The officials left at 2:31 p.m.

Mike Gordon, a ballot retriever official, said today has been “very busy.” This is the second ballot collection from the UU.

“We’ve got to go all the way up to Paso, do the same thing up there and come back to close everybody at 8 p.m.,” Gordon said.

The third and final ballot collection will be at 8 p.m. when the election closes.

— Kaylie Wang, reporting from the UU

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Many students are unfamiliar with the ballot

The PAC may not seem to be having a busy day on the outside, but Cal Poly students are navigating the vast list of candidates in today’s primary election on the inside.

Alec Hamman, a construction management freshman, found it difficult to decide on San Luis Obispo’s races for local positions. While he is registered to vote in San Luis Obispo, Hamman is not from here.

“There was a lot to vote on things I’m not super familiar with,” Hamman said.

Wyatt Silver, a animal science freshman, voted for the first time today. He described it as “about what I expected”, but still interesting and entertaining. He told Mustang News he recommends others vote as well.

— Seth Pintar, reporting from the PAC

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‘My needs rather than old people’: some students say this election is for Gen-Z to gain power

2 p.m.

— Parker Cinque, reporting from the PAC

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Where did you fill out your ballot?

2 p.m.

Traction picked up around 1:30 p.m. at the UU. More people are coming to drop off their ballots.

Biology sophomore Vanessa Vang came in to drop off ballots for her and her roommate.

“I just voted today because I knew it was due and it wasn’t too bad,” Vang said. “It was pretty easy just looking up all the candidates and everything. It wasn’t too bad. I actually had fun getting to know my candidates.”

Voting has picked up at the PAC, with around five to ten students walking in and out every few minutes. Michael McGuinness, a computer engineering freshman, said he was always taught that voting isn’t optional — it’s mandatory.

“My mom is much more politically cognizant than I am, so I had a whole phone call where she was explaining the judges and all this stuff. I enjoyed doing that with her,” McGuinness said. “I had it all written down in the sample ballots. We were in VG’s, filling out the actual ballots.”

McGuinness expressed a strong belief that this election is important because it determines who will be the gubernatorial candidates and who will win other key local races.

“I’m taking a California government class right now,” McGuinness said. “There are so many little differences between a primary and the other elections.”

— Kaylie Wang & Isabella Beltran, reporting from the UU and the PAC

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Students are uncertain of how the Governor race could go

1:40 p.m.

While students and faculty alike come by quickly to drop off their ballots, Makisig Velasquez, a chemistry senior, points out how important it is to take your time while voting in this specific election.

“Considering the options for governor are so important and people are so split on who they actually want to choose, it’s really important to make sure that I have the right vote,” he said.

He continued, “there’s really only two big options, for me at least… It was a lot of research.”

— Isabella Beltran, reporting from the UU

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Hitting the polls ‘feels more personal’ than mail-in

1:35 p.m.

Isak Reinemann, a business junior, speaks on why he voted in person.

— Parker Cinque, reporting from the PAC | Poll by Carly Heltzel

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‘My mom reminded me last night’

1:30 p.m.

Several people have come to drop their ballots in quickly before heading back out. Currently, there is no wait to drop off ballots in the UU. There have been no drop offs in the last ten minutes.

Math lecturer Michael Miller said he liked how easy the voting process was. Having a ballot drop box on campus was convenient for him, because his office is in Building 25, and he was already in the UU eating lunch.

“I wanted to do it here, because I felt more secure than if I stuck it in the mailbox,” Miller said. “I wasn’t sure about the pickup times or if it could get lost in the shuffle, so I liked the security of the official drop box.”

He said he tries to vote in local elections.

“The truth is I almost forgot about this one,” Miller said. “I had the letter on my countertop and then my mom reminded me last night, so I would have honestly probably forgotten. It was good that she reminded me.”

— Kaylie Wang, reporting from the UU

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It’s unc hour

1 p.m.

Voting has slowed at the Performing Arts Center, with most visitors appearing to be professors or other faculty members dropping off their ballots on their way to the Grand Avenue parking structure. Only one or two voters are walking in every five minutes.

— Sam Fickett, reporting from the PAC

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Some voters are uncertain about voting in this primaries

12:46 p.m.

Voting in the UU is reaching a steady influx of voters and biochemistry freshman Andrea Murphy shares that this was the first election she has voted in. However, it wasn’t easy.

“Trying to get my ballot sent here took a really long time and it only got here this morning so I wasn’t even sure if I was gonna vote or not, but I’m really glad I did,” she said.

— Isabella Beltran, reporting from the UU

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To vote or not to vote: ‘I’m really glad I did’

12:46 p.m.

Voting in the UU is reaching a steady influx of voters and biochemistry freshman Andrea Murphy shares that this was the first election she has voted in. However, it wasn’t easy.

“Trying to get my ballot sent here took a really long time and it only got here this morning so I wasn’t even sure if I was gonna vote or not, but I’m really glad I did,” she said.

— Isabella Beltran, reporting from the UU | Poll by Carly Heltzel

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Voting picking up on campus between classes

12:30 p.m.

Voting was busy from 12 p.m. until 12:15 p.m., with around a dozen students coming and going every few minutes. Many students are walking in with their mail-in ballots in hand. Mary Thomas, a music senior, shared that they were influenced to vote in the primary election after seeing a video about how many important decisions are made by parties in primaries.

“I like knowing that I have a say,” Thomas said. “I like being able to direct where we’re going, even if it’s in a little way.”

Thomas noted that a challenge in the voting process was deciding among the lengthy lists of candidates.

“I was Googling all the people, and I remembered the superintendent has a lot of people,” Thomas said. “The person at the top of my ballot, I look[ed] her up, I’m like, ‘I wonder what’s going on,’ and then she was super transphobic. So, this is extra important. I gotta make sure that whoever is elected aligns with my values.”

— Sam Fickett, reporting from the PAC

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Finding the candidates that ‘align’

12:18 p.m.

Students and faculty are continuing to drop their ballots off in the ballot box.

Human Resources Admin Assistant Steven Simily tells Mustang News that he believes voting is the only real way to have an effect in local communities besides getting directly involved with local government directly.

“I like to have some kind of say in something and getting to pick the people whose values seem to align with mine is the easiest way to do it,” he said.

Materials engineering sophomore Ximena Rosas said she also wanted to ensure she’s picking candidates that best align with her interests, taking the time to do so especially for this election.

“I think this was my first time actually reading through the pamphlet that has the description of each candidate running and why they’re running,” she said. 

— Isabella Beltran, reporting from the UU

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History of disfranchisement motivates student voter

Noon

Voting is slow, with only one or two students leaving every five minutes. Many students came to the Performing Arts Center because it’s the only spot on campus where you can register to vote or vote at a polling center.

Zenaida Rodriguez, an agricultural business junior, said stopping by the PAC to vote was easy and convenient because she lives on campus.

“I try to vote in every election I can,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just important to me because people weren’t always able to vote, so I think if I have the right to, then it’s important to use that.”

— Sam Fickett, reporting from the PAC

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Vote, ‘no matter what your opinions are’

11:54 a.m.

UU voting begins to slow down with several students being hesitant for interviews as they rush to their mid-day classes. Mustang News was able to speak with business sophomore Timmy Wei.

“I always vote in all the elections. It’s always important to have your voice heard no matter what your opinions are,” he said.

— Isabella Beltran, reporting from the UU

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Student government to state government

11:30 a.m.

Voting is slow in the Performing Arts Center with only a couple of students walking in and out. ASI president Marc Cabeliza stopped by to register in San Luis Obispo County and vote.

“I’m just making sure that I’m representing my voice and making sure that the people out there, and state government, actually represent what I want this state to look like,” Cabeliza said.

Students have been regularly dropping off ballots every few minutes. One student, biology junior Maya Paykel, pointed out the significance of voting.

“Everybody’s vote matters and everybody contributes to the wider direction of the country,” she said. She added that she usually tries to vote in local elections along with federal ones.

“We have a duty to do that because it’s a constitutional right,” said Paykel.

— Sam Fickett & Isabella Beltran, reporting from the PAC and UU

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On-campus voting makes the process convenient

11:01 a.m.

More voters at the UU ballot drop off box are sharing their thoughts about the voting process. Mustang News spoke to Zaida Jalloh about her experience with the voting process on campus.

“I think it’s also really nice that there’s a ballot drop off box on campus, which is what I was most concerned about because I didn’t have a car and I didn’t want to think about where I had to go” Said Jalloh “It made it really easy, which I think also encouraged me to even actually fill out my ballot and make sure I got it turned in, since it’s like easy to turn it into.”

— Avery Adelini, reporting from the UU

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Mail-in ballots or polling?

11 a.m.

As the morning continues here at the PAC, we’ve still seen a steady stream of students come and go. Mustang News spoke with Kyle Jackson, industrial packaging and technologies freshman about why he chose to vote in person.

“It feels more personable being able to come here and talk with poll workers and have a handheld ballot” he said. “I liked it.”

— RJ Pollock, reporting from the PAC

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Many student voters are voting for the first time

10:30 a.m.

— Gabby Gerster, reporting from the UU

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The traffic is slowly increasing at the UU

10:30 a.m.

More voters are arriving to drop off their ballots as the day progresses. Mustang News spoke with financial aid officer Allie Hovack about her experience with mail-in ballots.

“I like voting by mail. I think it makes it a lot easier to be able to have the time to sit down and really do my research beforehand, space it out, and then, just be able to drop it off whenever it works for me.” Hovack said.

— Avery Adelini, reporting from the UU

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Many voters are setting examples for future voting generations

10:12 a.m.

As the morning progresses, the PAC has seen a slow and steady flow of student traffic. Mustang News spoke with environmental management and protection freshman Amanda Zorrick about why she came out to vote today.

“I forgot to change my mail in ballot address but I saw that there was a voting center at the performing arts center, and so I came right on down and filled out the forms and it was super easy” she said.

“I’m a part of a few clubs on campus that have actually endorsed a few of the candidates and so I thought it was important to come out today and vote as it’s just an important part of our civic duty responsibility.”

— RJ Pollock, reporting from the PAC

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Many voters are setting examples for future voting generations

10:11 a.m.

The UU ballot drop off box is getting busier. Mustang News spoke to microbiology junior Maria Shea about the importance of voting in local elections.

“I just think that it’s a good thing for everyone to have voice and decisions that are made for our government, cause they do affect us all. So, even though there’s a lot of, or not that much time for college students to, like, vote, it’s good to, you know, kind of make some time to make those decisions, cause it’ll affect us for three years.” Shea said.

— Avery Adelini, reporting from the UU

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Many voters are setting examples for future voting generations

10:04 a.m.

Voter Michael Miller said he wants his daughters to learn about voting processes and do their civic duty.

— Roman Noravian, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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Traffic is slow at the PAC

10:04 a.m.

There are currently three students voting in person, making the total for in-person votes in the last three hours eight students. There have been a few more drop-off of ballots

— Emi Valero Martinez, reporting from the PAC

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Many voters say voting in local elections is the key to your voice being heard

10:03 a.m.

— Roman Noravian, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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Cal Poly voters transcend generations

9:30 a.m.

— Sedona Harris, reporting from the UU

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The UU ballot drop off box is slightly starting to pick up

9:30 a.m.

There aren’t any poll workers near the UU voting box right now. Most voters are quickly dropping off their ballot before heading to class or work. Abbi Wilson, a Cal Poly library employee, spoke about deciding to vote.

“I’ve always voted since I could vote and I think it’s very important, especially right now,” Wilson said. “Things are kind of not how I want them to be, so coming out to vote, and even if it doesn’t make much of a difference, I think it’s still important.”

A few students have come out after voting at the PAC. Mustang News spoke to forestry and fire science freshman Sawyer Tankersley who emphasized the importance of using your privilege of voting.

“You have nothing to lose, and this is your chance to have a say in what happens in California.” Tankersley said.

— Riya Minglani & Emi Valero Martinez, reporting from the UU and the PAC

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‘It was a good way to bring us together’

9:01 a.m.

Voter Dan Jansen said him and his family discussed the primary candidates at the dinner table.

— Roman Noravian, reporting from Clerk-Recorder’s Office

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Ballots collected at UU

9:01 a.m.

Voter Brynn Archelle spoke on her motivations for voting.

The poll workers just arrived to collect ballots. More people are starting to drop off their ballots.

— Riya Minglani & Sedona Harris, reporting from the UU

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‘It was super easy’

8:35 a.m.

Voter Shilpa Anandh praised the voting process.

— Roman Noravian, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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‘The money will flow‘: Trump endorses Steve Hilton via Truth Social

8:28 a.m.

Trump endorsed former Fox News host and British political strategists Steve Hilton in early April. He said Hilton would work with him to “make California great again.” This threw a major curveball against rival Republican candidate Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, pushing Hilton to lead.

— Archana Pisupati, Editor in Chief

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Absentee ballot with a side of wine, dream date

8:01 a.m.

San Luis Obispo resident Jason Wells fills out his absentee ballot with his wife over a glass of wine.

— Roman Noravian, reporting from the County Clerk-Recorder

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Things are gearing up on campus

8:01 a.m.

The polls have officially opened at Cal Poly’s campus. The Performing Arts Center has added an American flag to their entrance, and have “vote here” signs directing students. There’s multiple poll workers inside. There’s been a lot of passing traffic, and students turn to look at the PAC. So far, only a few people have gone in to drop off their ballot.

A couple of people have already started to drop off their ballots. There are very few people in the UU in general and no one is sitting at or around the ballot box. 

— Riya Minglani & Emi Valero Martinez, reporting from the UU and PAC

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Mustang News election coverage

June 2, 7 a.m.

Mustang News will be reporting live updates with information on the California Primary Election.

A primary election is held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In California, the top two candidates in each primary will move on to the November 2026 election, when voters elect a candidate.

READ MORE: What’s on the June 2 ballot?

For more information, visit our 2026 Election section, and follow along on Instagram to watch explainers ahead of the big day.  

— Archana Pisupati, Editor in Chief