The University Union ballot box overflowed at 4:00 p.m. as a record number of voters dropped off mail-in ballots, according to Caty Ogden, coordinator of government affairs for Associated Students Inc. (ASI).
Voters couldn’t drop off ballots starting at 4 p.m. until ballot retriever officers emptied the box at 5:15 p.m., Ogden said.
Ballot boxes are typically emptied only once a day by ballot retriever officers from the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder, making today’s overflow the first time they came to Cal Poly twice in a day, according to ballot retriever officer Mike Gordon.
During the closure, ASI provided alternate on-campus ballot drop-off locations, including the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo and the USPS mail dropbox by the Administration Building (BLDG. 1).
“Today is a great indicator of what tomorrow could bring,” Ogden said. “The ballot box is definitely going to be picked up a lot more frequently now that we have a better understanding of the number of ballots that might be coming through.”
All ballots must either be postmarked or dropped off by 8 p.m. on Election Day to ensure they are counted.