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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - The hotly contested race for San Luis Obispo County District 4 Supervisor is nearing a conclusion with Election Day now just a day away.

Two candidates vying for the seat the represents much of South San Luis Obispo County, are incumbent Jimmy Paulding of Arroyo Grande, who is also the current Board Chair, and challenger Adam Verdin, an Oceano businessman, attorney and community volunteer.

For nearly a year since both candidates announced their intentions to run last summer, they have been involved in a spirited race that has included accusations of campaign violations, misleading advertisements and questionable donation sources.

The two candidates recently sat down with News Channel 3-12 and were asked the same series of questions regarding the issues, the District, the County and other related topics.

At the top of the interview, both Paulding and Verdin were asked why they have chosen to run for the seat.

"I'm running for reelection because I love serving this community," said Paulding. "It has been the honor and privilege of my life to do this job to serve the community that I grew up in and I hope to continue to do it for another four years."

"I think it's important for people to understand that this is the first time I've ever run for office," said Verdin. "I am not a career politician and I don't aspire to be a politician, per se, but I do enjoy solving problems on behalf of the community. I have a record of doing that, and a lot of the nonprofit work that we've done, and I think we could do a better job serving our community. It is incumbent on every generation to leave this place with as much opportunity as we had when we grew up here and that's the basic premise of why I'm running."

Each candidate was followed up with a second question asking why they feel they are the best choice to fill the seat?

"I actually have experience doing exactly what I just described," said Verdin. "I think I have a very different life experience than my opponent, although we both grew up here. We built a business here. I grew up in a family restaurant. My wife has started a business here. We've been deeply involved in our community and I think that's a real distinction between myself and my opponent."

"I think I'm the best choice for this job because I bring a set of skills and experience that my opponent doesn't have," said Paulding.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) - There are thousands of ballots out in Santa Barbara County that still need to be voted and returned according to recent statistics from the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.

The latest count shows around 48,000 ballots have been returned, that translates to about 19% of the total voter registration for the county.

In the last Gubernatorial Primary held in 2022 total final turnout was 39.85%.

The vote-by-mail ballots are said to be the easiest as there are several ways to return a completed ballot.

Voters first have to made sure it is sealed and then signed with the signature they used when they registered.

Voters have to make sure it is postmarked on or before June 2nd and one way is to bring it to the counter at the U.S. Post Office near you. (There are mailboxes that are not doing same day postmarks.). Elections officials say if you do mail your ballot, it is recommended that you obtain a manual postmark from a postal employee inside your local United States Post Office and that you mail the ballot in advance of Election Day.

The method that has gained in popularity has been the white ballot drop off boxes. There are 18 of them in Santa Barbara County and the elections staff picks up the ballots regularly. Afterwards the boxes are locked and a special seal is placed on the door. Those boxes will be closed and locked up for good at 8 p.m. Tuesday June 2nd when the polls officially close.

The voter can also hand deliver a ballot to the elections office counter in-person.

They can also bring it in to a polling place anywhere in the county on election day starting at 7 a.m. when the polls open.

All of the locations, phone contacts, websites and candidate information has been sent out to registered voters. It can also be found at SBCVote.com or through the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder, Assessor office which includes the Registrar of Voters.

Results will be available after 8 p.m. on June 2.

Ballots received or postmarked by the deadline will be counted. Those that are not postmarked by the deadline will not be counted and the elections office keeps data on how many come in after the deadline.

Voters can also track their ballots to make sure they have arrived in the elections office for processing.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber says 5.4 millon California residents have signed up to track their ballots.

This “Where’s My Ballot?” process gives voters automatic updates when their ballot is mailed, received, and counted.

Voters who sign up for “Read more

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