Primary Election Voting Begins May 4th & Includes a New Early Voting Option
Author: Erin Clausen
Date: 5/2/2026 1:37 PM
Mail ballots will be sent out on Monday, May 4th and drop boxes will open throughout the county by Tuesday morning. In addition, the two SLO County Elections Offices will offer a new way to vote early and in person.
May 4 marks an important day in the June 2, 2026, Statewide Direct Primary Election: Mail ballots will go out to all registered voters from the Goleta USPS hub, the satellite Atascadero Elections Office will open to the public, and both elections offices will begin offering a new method of early voting.
In past elections, voters could drop off their mail ballot or request a replacement ballot at either SLO County Elections office. Beginning Monday, voters will also be able to cast their mail ballot at the office without using a return envelope. Voting this way will require the voter to complete and sign a brief form; the signature will be checked immediately against their voter record. Once the signature has been verified, elections staff will give the voter a privacy sleeve. If they didn't bring in their mail ballot, staff will also issue a replacement ballot and cancel the original that was sent to the voter.
When the voter has made their selections and finished voting, they will return their ballot in the privacy sleeve to the counter staff, and staff will assist the voter in depositing the voted ballot into the ballot box behind the counter.
One advantage of voting using this new method is that ballots cast in person without an envelope will be counted early and included in the first results released at 8pm on Election Night. The voter's record will be credited at the time they vote, increasing security and providing immediate confirmation that their vote was accepted.
It is important to note that voting a mail ballot without an envelope is only available inside one of the two elections offices; any ballot deposited into an official county drop box still requires a signed return envelope. Similarly, mail ballots for the June election that are returned to a polling place on Election Day must also be inside a signed return envelope.
The SLO Elections Office will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and the Atascadero Elections Office will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 4:00 pm. Both offices will be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on Election Day, June 2.
Details about the election can be found at SloVote.gov/June2026. Online resources include a polling place look-up tool, voter FAQs, and digital versions of the SLO County Voter Information Guide.
Voters with questions are also welcome to contact the office at (805) 781-5228 or by email at [email protected].
