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This page serves as a resource for dispelling misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation.
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This service provides information for qualifying an initiative to go to election and placing a measure on the ballot.
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Pursuant to Government Code §12956.1
If this document contains any restriction based on age, race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, familial status, marital status, disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, national origin, source of income as defined in subdivision (p) of Section 12955, or ancestry, that restriction violates state and federal fair housing laws and is void, and may be removed pursuant to Section 12956.2 of the Government Code by submitting a “Restrictive Covenant Modification” form, together with a copy of the attached document with the unlawful provision redacted to the County Recorder’s office.
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This service provides information on how to search the birth record indices and obtain copies of birth certificates. The Clerk-Recorder office retains birth records that occurred in San Luis Obispo County. Birth records are public records, but not searchable on the Internet. Certified copies are available upon request. Anyone wishing to search the indices and view birth records must visit our San Luis Obispo office and sign in with department staff.
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San Luis Obispo County offers voters with disabilities options that provide for a private and independent voting environment. The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder wants to help you create a voting method that works for you. These options include:
- Vote by Mail: Your ballot has automatically been sent to you. Keep it safe and return your ballot by mail, drop box, or polling place.
- Voting at a Polling Place: You can go to your assigned polling place on Election Day.
- Accessible ballot-marking machines (ICX) are available at every polling place on Election Day and at the County Clerk-Recorder offices beginning 29 days prior to the election.
- Accessible Voter Information Guide on the Web: Sample Ballot and Voter Information Guides are available on the Clerk-Recorder’s website with the use of personal accessible navigational tools and screen reader technology. Use our Polling Place Lookup to access.
Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail
A remotely accessible vote by mail voting experience can be provided by the elections staff for all voters, including those with disabilities by using web-based tools on a personal computer, printer, and one’s personal assistive device(s) (screen readers, tactile switches, closed captioning, sip and puff system, etc.) to access and mark one’s ballot, then return it by mail to the Elections Office.
Contact the Elections office for information at 805-781-5228
Other Assistance for Visually, Hearing or Speech Impaired:
The Secretary of State’s Office has a TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) to provide elections information: 1-800-833-8683 (1-800-TDD-VOTE). Large print format of the state ballot measures continues to be available.
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This service provides access to the online portal used to file campaign finance disclosures. County Ordinance No. 3261 requires electronic filing of campaign disclosure documents for all candidates and committees. Treasurers must use the NetFile Filer login link to file campaign finance disclosures (Fair Political Practices Commission Forms 410, 460, 496, 497, 461, and 465). These documents are public and may be audited by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) and California Franchise Tax Board to ensure that voters are fully informed and improper practices prohibited. It is the responsibility of candidates and committees to understand the rules regulating their campaigns in California.
County Ordinance 3487 addresses local campaign finance contribution limits.
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These links provide information on current and upcoming election(s) being conducted by the County of San Luis Obispo.
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The California Political Reform Act requires candidates and committees to file campaign statements by specified deadlines disclosing contributions received and expenditures made. These documents are public and may be viewed using the Campaign Finance Disclosure Public Portal. The filings available online are redacted. Please contact the Clerk-Recorder office for unredacted versions.
Please note that this portal is not managed or maintained by the County of San Luis Obispo. It is managed and maintained by a third-party company that hosts campaign disclosure forms, documents and statements for local California governments. But if you need assistance, please contact the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
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This service provides a list of current Countywide officeholders, term lengths, and term expiration dates.
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This service provides information on how to search the death record indices and obtain copies of death certificates. The Clerk-Recorder office retains death records that occurred in San Luis Obispo County. Death records are public records, but not searchable on the Internet. Certified copies are available upon request. Anyone wishing to search the indices and view death records must visit our San Luis Obispo office and sign in with department staff.
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Information regarding current recall efforts is posted here for San Luis Obispo county voters' information
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This service allows you to apply to be a Deputy Marriage Commissioner for the Day. California Family Code Section 401(b) allows the Clerk-Recorder, as Commissioner of Civil Marriages, to deputize individuals as a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages for a day to solemnize marriages in California.
NOTE: This is an optional service not provided by all counties. Additionally, if the marriage license was purchased outside of the County of San Luis Obispo, please verify with that County that they will accept a Deputy Commissioner for a Day deputized by the County of San Luis Obispo.
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The following are educational video resources regarding election processes. Click on any of the images below to watch a detailed video about the subject.
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This service provides information about poll watcher rules when observing procedures at polling places or the central counting location. See the Poll Watcher Guide for details.
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This service provides election results, documents, and information related to elections conducted by the County of San Luis Obispo. Please see Past Elections if you are looking for election results not shown here.
Summary reports of final official election results dating back to March 2000 are available online. Older results may be obtained from the Clerk-Recorder office.
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This service allows you to abandon the use of a Fictitious Business Name (FBN). Upon ceasing to transact business in this state under an FBN that was filed in the previous five (5) years, a person(s) who has filed a Fictitious Business Name Statement shall file a Statement of Abandonment of use of Fictitious Business Name. The statement shall be executed in the same manner as a Statement of Fictitious Business Name and shall be filed with the County Clerk of the county in which the person(s) filed their fictitious business name statement. Business and Professions Code Section 17922.
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The Help America Vote Act requires first time voters to show identification when voting. If you registered to vote by mail after January 1, 2003 and have not previously voted in San Luis Obispo County you will be required to show your current valid photo I.D. or a copy of one of the following that shows your name and address when you go to the polls on election day: current utility bill, bank statement, government check, government paycheck, or other government document. The same requirement applies if you vote by mail.
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This service provides information on how to search the Fictitious Business Name record indices and obtain copies of Fictitious Business Name Statements. Fictitious Business Name Statements are filed and maintained in the County of San Luis Obispo Clerk-Recorder's Office. Copies of existing Fictitious Business Name Statements are a public record and available upon request.
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Precincts Reported:
This is to indicate the number of precincts for which we have received and counted their precinct ballots at the central tabulation location on election night. The idea is to give an indication of how close we are to being done for the night. The final unofficial election night results report will show 100% of precincts reporting (see below for an example). For example, there are 18 consolidated voting precincts for the April 18, 2023, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Special Election. If we have received and counted the precinct ballots from 9 precincts, the Precincts Reported will show 9 of 18 (50.00%) – halfway done for the evening.
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Voters Cast:
This indicates the number and percentage of ballots counted compared to the number of registered voters as of 15 days prior to Election Day. This number will increase as ballots are counted, and the final official report for the election will indicate the final numbers, also referred to as “turnout.” For example, the final Voters Cast for the November 8, 2022, General Election was 121,156 of 182,291 which is 66.46%:
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Times Cast:
This number is shown for each contest and indicates the number of ballots counted that contain the contest. This number is broken down between Polling and Vote by Mail Ballots. For example, the final official results for the United States Representative, 24th District contest from the November 8, 2022, General Election are shown below:
.png "ExampleContest-(1).png")
This shows that a total of 77,647 ballots were counted of 115,865 voters within that district within San Luis Obispo county. Of those ballots, 73,139 were Vote by Mail and 4,508 were cast at a polling place. You may also note that there were 86 precincts within the 24th congressional district within our county, and the turnout of those voters (67.02%) was slightly higher than the turnout countywide (66.46%).
Additional Contest-Level Information:
Undervotes – the number of ballots where the voter marked fewer ovals than the “vote for”. In the above example, it is a Vote for 1 contest, which means a total of 1,820 voters did not mark a choice for this contest.
Overvotes – the number of ballots where the voter marked more ovals than the “vote for”. In the above example, two voters marked more than one choice for this contest.
Total Votes – the number of votes for each candidate in the contest. This number will often be less than the Times Cast (ballots containing the contest) due to undervotes and overvotes.
Unresolved Write-In – the only time you may see a number other than zero in this row is on the election night reports. Write-in votes must be examined (adjudicated) by a team of two staff members who can read the voter’s handwriting and determine and allocate any votes for qualified candidates. This process is done during the official canvass period in the days following election night.
Other Counties:
To see the results for Monterey County’s portion of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, please visit https://www.montereycountyelections.us/
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This service allows you to purchase Fictitious Business Name Statement Filings Data.
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The Clerk-Recorder office no longer offers passport photographs or accepts passport applications, but select locations of the County Library are now Passport Acceptance Facilities. Passport information can be found by visiting the U.S. Department of State website.
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This service allows you to file a Fictitious Business Name Statement. Under Business and Professions Code 17900 et seq., the purpose of a Fictitious Business Name Statement is to protect those dealing with individuals or partnerships doing business under fictitious names, and it is not intended to confer any right or advantage on individuals or firms that fail to comply with the law. The filing of a fictitious business name certificate is designed to make available to the public the identity of person(s) who are legal owners of the business.
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This service provides election results, documents, and information related to past elections conducted by the County of San Luis Obispo. Summary reports of final official election results dating back to March 2000 are available online. Older results may be obtained from the Clerk-Recorder office.
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This service allows you to renew a Fictitious Business Name Statement.
Renewals must be filed within forty (40) days of the date of expiration if you intend to continue doing business under that name and there are no changes in the required information.
If there are any changes to your filed Fictitious Business Name Statement, it is considered a new filing and requires publication.
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This service provides access to the precinct mapping information maintained by the Clerk-Recorder office for election purposes. Geographical information systems (GIS) technology has been used to maintain precinct boundaries and facilitate map printing. Precinct maps utilize GIS data maintained by various County departments and other agencies such as Public Works, Assessor, Planning & Building, cities, LAFCO, the Citizens Redistricting Commission, and the Census Bureau.
Please contact the elections team at [email protected] or 805-781-5228 with any questions.
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This service allows you to search the index of Fictitious Business Name Statements. Statements are a public record. You may search the index of Fictitious Business Name Statements that are filed and maintained in the Clerk-Recorder office online using the County of SLO Fictitious Business Name Self-Service Portal.
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Click here to access the RAVBM Request Form
What is Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail (RAVBM)?
A RAVBM system allows voters to mark their selection using their own compatible technology to vote independently and privately. This system is available to all California registered voters. To use the RAVBM system a voter must download the application, mark, and print their ballot, sign the envelope (using the envelope provided with the vote-by-mail ballot or your own envelope), then return their ballot to the Elections Official
How to use RAVBM
A voter using RAVBM:
- Requests a RAVBM from their County election office by application, phone, email or by reviewing their information on My Voter Status at sos.ca.gov
- Downloads the application from the sent email with a link to the RAVBM System and a code to access the ballot.
- Marks their selections in a secured portal.
- Prints and returns their ballot package containing the voted ballot and ballot declaration and oath of voter using their postage paid envelope included with their vote-by-mail ballot or by using their own envelope which would require postage. The return envelope used in any instance, must have the voter’s signature on the outside envelope. The voter can also return their envelope in person to a voting location, drop box or their County Elections Office. A voter cannot submit their selections online. It must be mailed or returned in person.
For RAVBM questions please call San Luis Obispo Elections at (805) 781-5228 Monday through Friday 8am-5pm. You may also email your questions to [email protected]
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This service allows you to file a Statement of Withdrawal from a Partnership operating under a Fictitious Business Name. Any registrant who is a general partner in a partnership that is or has been regularly transacting business under a fictitious business name may, upon withdrawing as a general partner, file a statement of withdrawal from the partnership operating under a fictitious business name.
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The following information is provided pursuant to EC § 3019 regarding how to "cure" noncomparable and missing signatures on ballot identification envelopes.
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This service allows you to file or view California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documents which may or may not have an environmental impact to the County of San Luis Obispo. The Clerk-Recorder's office is the local filing agency for any CEQA filings or postings.
These filings are viewable on our self-service portal
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This service provides upcoming election information.
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This service allows you to register as a Legal Document Assistant. A legal document assistant (LDA) is a non-lawyer authorized to prepare legal documents for people representing themselves in legal matters. Unlike paralegals or legal assistants, who perform substantive legal work under the supervision of an attorney, only certain types of legal services can be performed by an LDA. They are prohibited from providing legal advice or opinion but may prepare legal documents in a ministerial manner; provide attorney-authored general information and published legal documents; and file and serve documents at the direction of the client.
Laws concerning Legal Document Assistants are set forth in the California Business and Professions Code (BPC 6400-6415).
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As required by law, the County of San Luis Obispo offers facsimile ballots in the following language:
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This service provides information about getting married in the Clerk-Recorder's office and scheduling a civil marriage ceremony.
COVID safety protocols
- Mask Policy: As of 2/16/22 the County's current indoor masking requirement will end for fully vaccinated individuals. However, unvaccinated people will still be required to wear a face-covering in all indoor public settings.
- Limit is nine (9) people including the couple and witnesses.
General Rules
- Appointments are required prior to arrival (ceremonies will not be performed without an appointment).
- Applicants must bring their own witness to the ceremony.
- You must have a marriage license prior to the ceremony. Please visit our self-service portal to complete the online license application and come 30 minutes prior to the appointment to have a license issued.
- Please arrive promptly at your scheduled time. Late arrivals may result in cancellation.
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This service allows you to view current voter registration numbers by State reporting district (updated weekly), and the Official Report of Voter Registration as required by and reported to California Secretary of State.
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This service provides information on how to search the marriage record indices and obtain copies of marriage certificates. The Clerk-Recorder office retains marriage records where the license was purchased in San Luis Obispo County. Marriage records are public records if a public marriage license was purchased, but not searchable on the Internet. Certified copies are available upon request. Anyone wishing to search the indices and view public marriage records must visit our San Luis Obispo office and sign in with department staff.
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A RAVBM system allows voters to mark their selection using their own compatible technology to vote independently and privately. This system is available to all California registered voters. To use the RAVBM system a voter must download the application, mark, and print their ballot, sign the envelope (using the envelope provided with the vote-by-mail ballot or your own envelope), then return their ballot to the Elections Official
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This service provides information about marriage licenses and requirements and allows you to apply for a marriage license. A marriage license must be purchased prior to your ceremony and is valid for 90 days from the date of purchase. The ceremony must take place in the state of California.
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This service allows you to search, view, record or receive copies of Military Discharge documents (DD-214) which have been recorded in San Luis Obispo County.
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This service allows you to verify the authenticity of Notary Public or Public Official signatures.
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This service allows individuals to register as a Notary Public. A notary public is an official, appointed by the Secretary of State, to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official acts related to the signing of important documents.
Laws concerning Notaries Public are set forth in the California Government Code Sections 8200-8230. For information on becoming a Notary Public, visit the California Secretary of State's website.
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This service allows you to look up the polling place (voting location) based on a voter's residence address in San Luis Obispo County. The polling place lookup provides the polling place name, address, sample ballot booklet, audio enabled sample ballot, accessibility details, and map location.
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The staff at the Clerk-Recorder office works hundreds of extra hours to prepare for each election, but on election morning, the process is turned over to precinct workers to administer. We need qualified personnel to serve voters who go to the polls on Election Day. Specific examples of what you will be doing include:
- Before Election Day, attend training & pick up your supplies
- Election Day, arrive at 6:00AM to set up
- Assist voters when signing in
- Issue ballots to voters and accept ballots from vote-by-mail voters
- Close the polls
- Account for ballots & pack up supplies
- Deliver the voted ballots & supplies to a central collection point
While most group members admit it is a more complicated process than they first imagined, they have also expressed a great satisfaction at contributing to an important piece of American democracy.
Click here for more information on Precinct Worker Programs
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This service provides information about how to register as a Process Server. Process servers deliver legal documents to individuals involved in a court proceeding. In California, a process server is defined as any person who makes more than ten (10) services of process within this state during one (1) calendar year, for specific compensation or in expectation of specific compensation; or any corporation or partnership that derives or expects to derive compensation from service of process within this state.
Laws concerning process servers are set forth in California Business and Professions Code (BPC 22350-22360).
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This service provides information about how to register as a Professional Photocopier. A professional photocopier is defined as any person who for compensation obtains or reproduces documents authorized to be produced, and who, while engaged in performing that activity, has access to the information contained therein.
Laws concerning Professional Photocopiers are set forth in the California Business and Professions Code (BPC 22450-22463).
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The Clerk-Recorder office provides access to public records in accordance with the California Public Records Act (CPRA) (Government Code Section §6250 et seq.). This service provides information regarding submitting a CPRA request to the Clerk-Recorder office.
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This service provides information on how to remove an elective officer (elected official) from office.
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This service allows you to obtain copies of recorded documents. Documents recorded in the Clerk-Recorder office are known as "Official Records".
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This service allows you to search for recorded documents. Documents recorded in the Clerk-Recorder's Office are officially known as Official Records. The grantor-grantee index identifies the instruments recorded in this county relating to real property. To view the index, use the recorded documents self-service portal. The index is available online; however, to view images of the Official Records you will need appear in person or purchase copies on-line or by mail.
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This service allows you to record an instrument related to real property as an Official Record.
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This service provides information on how an individual may run for public office. Candidate information booklets for recent elections and declarations regarding qualifications to run for office are available in the Reference section, as well as, by clicking here March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election.
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This service allows you to register as a Unlawful Detainer Assistant. An unlawful detainer assistant (UDA) is a person or entity who, for compensation, provides assistance or advice in unlawful detainer actions. An unlawful detainer action is a court process by which a landlord seeks to have a tenant evicted and/or pay rent that is owed.
Laws concerning unlawful detainer assistants are set forth in the California Business and Professions Code (BPC 6400-6415).
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This service provides information about voting by mail.
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This service provides information on applying for voter registration information.
New regulations governing access to voter information went into effect July 1, 2022. Please review the Secretary of State site for updated regulations.
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This service allows you to look up your voter registration status, register to vote, update your voter registration, or view information regarding voter registration.
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This service provides information on requesting a certified copy of your voting registration record.
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This service allows you to look up your voter registration status using the online Voter Status Lookup. Information provided includes:
- Registered city
- Registered political party
- Voter registration status (e.g. pending, active, inactive)
- Vote-by-Mail status
- Vote-by-Mail information for most recent election (if applicable)
- List of districts in which your residence is located
You must have a California driver’s license or California ID number on file in our system to access your voter registration status. If you cannot view your voter status, contact the Elections Office at [email protected] or call 805-781-5228 and we will assist you.
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This service provides information about voting as provided by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and allows eligible voters to register to vote and request a vote-by-mail ballot as provided by the act.
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This service allows you to look up the consolidated voting precinct for a voter's residence address in San Luis Obispo County. The search results provide the voter information guide / sample ballot, Spanish facsimile ballot, Tagalog facsimile ballot (if applicable), and accessible sample ballot (screen reader compatible) corresponding to the address entered.
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San Luis Obispo County voters can subscribe to receive automated alerts regarding the status of their ballot. Where's My Ballot? allows voters to determine how they want to be notified and provides updates on when ballots are mailed, received, counted, and if there are any issues.
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