What you need to know on Election Day in Atascadero
Polls in San Luis Obispo County open at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, and close at 8 p.m. Atascadero voters will choose two City Council members and a mayor, along with congressional and statewide races and 14 state propositions.
What’s on the ballot
Atascadero City Council: Four candidates are running for two at-large seats, so every Atascadero voter will see this race. Incumbent Susan Funk is seeking a third term. She is joined on the ballot by Mike Avila, a small business owner; Emily Baranek, a homebuilder; and Ian Denchasy, a small business owner. Councilmember Heather Newsom is not seeking reelection. The two candidates with the most votes win four-year terms.
Mayor: Mayor Charles Bourbeau is running unopposed for another two-year term.
School board: The four Atascadero Unified School District governing board seats will not appear on the ballot. The county reports that four incumbents, Vy Pierce, Denise McGrew-Kane, Rebekah Koznek, and Tracy Ellis-Weit, were the only candidates, so they are to be seated without an election. There are no local ballot measures for Atascadero voters.
Congress and Assembly: In the 19th Congressional District, Jimmy Panetta and Peter Coe Verbica are on the ballot. In the 30th Assembly District, Dawn Addis and Shannon Kessler are on the ballot.
Statewide: Voters will also pick a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner, superintendent of public instruction, and a Board of Equalization member, and weigh in on 14 statewide propositions. Summaries and arguments for and against each are in the state voter information guide.
Where to vote in person
San Luis Obispo County assigns each voter a polling place, and voters who go to a different location must use a provisional ballot. Your assigned polling place is printed at the top of your vote-by-mail ballot. Locations may have changed since the last election, so check before you go. Voters can look up their polling place at slovote.gov/November2026.
Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The county’s Atascadero elections office, on the second floor of the library at 6565 Capistrano Ave., is also open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. The county elections office in San Luis Obispo (1055 Monterey St.) is open the same hours.
Is it too late to vote by mail?
With Election Day tomorrow, the safest move is not to put your ballot in the mail. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days to count, but the county recommends mailing at least a week early to avoid postal delays. Instead, voters have these options:
- Drop your ballot in any official county ballot drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday. The county has 18 drop boxes, and the list is at slovote.gov/November2026.
- Bring your voted ballot to your assigned polling place, check in with a poll worker, and place it directly in the precinct ballot box. New this year, the return envelope is not needed.
- Return your ballot in person at either county elections office, or at any polling place, vote center, or drop box in California by 8 p.m.
Voters can track their ballot at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov. If your signature is missing or does not match the one on file, the county will give you a chance to fix it after Election Day.
Not registered, or lost your ballot?
The deadline to register online passed Oct. 19, but eligible voters can still register and vote the same day through conditional voter registration at the county elections offices. Voters who are not registered can also cast a provisional ballot at any polling place on Election Day, and it is counted once the county confirms eligibility.
Voters who lost their mail ballot or need a replacement can get one in person at either elections office during business hours through Election Day.
Some first-time voters may be asked to show a photo ID or another document with their name and address, such as a utility bill or bank statement.
When to expect results
Early ballots are included in the first batch of results released on election night. Ballots dropped off Tuesday and those that arrive by mail in the following days will be processed afterward, and state law requires counties to count most ballots within 13 days of the election.
For polling places, drop boxes, and more election information, visit slovote.gov/November2026.
Sources: San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder, November 2026 voter information guide, voter FAQs, and election guidance; City of Atascadero; California Secretary of State.
