Staff at the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office are hard at work as voters continue casting ballots this Election Day.
Voters have been arriving at the County Government Center by car, bike and on foot to drop off their ballots, while others headed inside to vote in person.
Behind the scenes, elections staff are working at full capacity to process and count ballots.
Among those helping with the Election Day effort are Elections Office interns Elise Nudel and Allison Aguiar, who have spent the past month helping prepare for the election.
For Nudel, civic engagement has been important since before she was old enough to vote.
When I turned 18, the first thing my mom said to me was, We have a new voter in the house, Nudel said. So its always been a big part of my life growing up, and just being as civically engaged as possible.
Aguiar said working at the Elections Office has also allowed her to become a resource for friends with questions about voting.
All of my friends come to me with their questions and I have answers, Aguiar said. Ive had multiple people text me things like, What time do the polls open? What time do they close? And I love that I have the answers and can help them out.
Election officials said more than 1,600 voters had cast their ballots at the Government Center as of 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Staff could remain at the Elections Office past 2 a.m. Wednesday as they continue processing and counting ballots.