With new district lines drawn in San Luis Obispo County and two upcoming elections in June and November, voters may have some questions.
The local branch of the League of Women Voters is planning to answer them.
Ed Cabrera, Voter Services Director for the League, said voters may have a number of questions this year, like:
"Can I vote this year?"
"Which district will I vote in?"
"Who are the candidates running in my district?"
"How can I find out what they stand for?"
“Will things be changing from the last election? And they will. I guarantee you,” Cabrera said.
He said recent changes in San Luis Obispo County may have voters unsure of what to expect.
“There’s going to be a lot of confusion this year, for example, on redistricting,” Cabrera said.
He's referring to the new Patten map approved by the Board of Supervisors in December that majorly redrew SLO County’s district lines.
The new map splits the North Coast area into three pieces, putting Los Osos in one district and Morro Bay in another. Meanwhile Cayucos, Cambria and the rest of the North Coast region are separately grouped with the city of Atascadero, while SLO City remains divided.
That means some people will be voting in a new district.
“Also, some people were looking forward to voting this November for their supervisor, and they won’t be," Cabrera said. "Some people will be surprised that, ‘Oh we’re voting again?’ Well, because the lines have changed.”
The state’s congressional district map is also new. Cabrera said the League is working to clear things up for SLO County voters.
“We’re going to be doing that through in-person meetings but also through a number of webinars and our monthly publication, Voter’s Edge,” Cabrera said.
Volunteers are needed to help run informational Zoom meetings and webinars. Those interested in helping can contact Janice Langley at communications@lwvslo.org.
Cabrera said a schedule for the webinars will be available in the next three weeks.
