With close races in SLO Co., some ballots still need to be counted

Ballot counters are taking a break Tuesday to observe Veteran's Day according to Julie Rodewald, the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder.

  Although, midterm elections ended a week ago, determining new measures and elected officials, some races are still unsettled in San Luis Obispo County. 

Rodewald said provisional and mail-in ballots will determine tight races in Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach Pismo Beach and Paso Robles.

The county will have reportable numbers Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Last week, Rodewald predicted the percentage of mail-in ballots from this election will exceed the typical number.

She said it takes longer to count mail-in ballots and this process is affecting Central Coast counties.

The influx of mail-ballots requires more time process each and these ballots in San Luis Obispo may affect the results of some of these tight races.

Rodewald described why counting mail-in ballots is a meticulous task.

"With each of those ballots, as with all of our vote by mail ballots we have to check the signature, we have to get the ballots opened, processed, which involves laying them flat, check for write-ins or anything that causes that ballot to be duplicated now that all has to happen in an extremely short period of time," said Rodewald.

Santa Barbara and Monterey counties are still counting ballots with Monterey county also reporting an influx in mail-in ballots. Despite having the lowest voter turnout on the central coast, Monterey county received more than 30,000 mail-in ballots just before the midterms.

Those counting the ballots process the close races first, to finalize close numbers before moving on to other ballots. All Central Coast counties have a December 2 deadline to report all numbers, making major updates along the way.