Nearly 69,000 ballots remain uncounted following general election
Three generations of Paso Robles women cast their ballots together on Election Day. Kathy Finefrock, at left, with granddaughter Abigail Haller, and daughter Kristin Finefrock at the Cypress Mountain Masonic Lodge on Sherwood Road in Paso Robles. It was Abigail’s first time to vote.
Final results and certification of the election are scheduled for Dec. 3
– The San Luis Obispo County Elections Office has released its initial unprocessed ballots report, estimating nearly 69,000 ballots remain uncounted following the Nov. 5 general election. The report, required by the California Secretary of State’s Office, was posted by 3 p.m. on Thursday at SloVote.com/November2024.
According to the report, a total of 82,548 ballots had been processed by election night. Categories of remaining unprocessed ballots include approximately 58,925 vote-by-mail ballots received on or before election day, 3,268 vote-by-mail ballots received after election day, 4,397 provisional ballots, 1,043 conditional voter registration ballots, and 1,353 other ballots requiring further review, totaling an estimated 68,992 unprocessed ballots. There are also 420 challenged ballots awaiting signature cures or other verifications.
The elections office will tabulate additional vote-by-mail ballots on Nov. 8 and expects to post updated results by 5 p.m. that day. Subsequent updates will follow as part of the 28-day canvass process required by California law.
During the canvass, the office will scan voter signatures from election day polling rosters, forward out-of-county ballots as required, and tabulate vote-by-mail ballots received after Nov. 2.
Additional steps include verifying and counting provisional ballots, reviewing flagged ballots with write-ins or other discrepancies, and performing a 1% manual tally to verify machine accuracy.
This manual tally, scheduled for Nov. 13, involves comparing hand counts from a random 1% sample of ballots cast in person and by mail against machine tabulations.
SLO County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano reported that a high number of provisional ballots, 4,397, were cast, many from Cal Poly students voting for the first time in the county. This increase has required additional time to confirm registration and eligibility.
Following the Nov. 8 update, Cano anticipates weekly tabulations until all eligible ballots are counted. Daily tabulation notices will be posted on the Clerk-Recorder’s homepage. The final results and certification of the election are scheduled for Dec. 3.
The public is invited to observe the tabulation process. For further details, contact the clerk-recorder’s office at (805) 781-5080.
