San Luis Obispo County election officials began mandatory testing Wednesday of voting equipment ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, General Election.
California law requires counties to run test ballots with pre-determined results through every tabulator before each election to ensure the machines read ballots correctly and accurately compile results.
The testing started Wednesday morning at the Elections Center on Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo and was open to the public.
County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano said the process is intended to provide transparency and demonstrate the accuracy of the voting system.
This is showing the members of the public, our voters, how the system is working. It is showing them how accurate our system is by already running thousands of ballots through the tabulators,” Cano said.
Election officials will use the testing to verify that all tabulators are functioning properly before ballots are cast in the November general election.