County clerk-recorder responds to Justice Department demand for voter information

With Election Day just a week away, San Luis Obispo County's top elections official is pushing back on a demand from the U.S. Department of Justice for confidential voter information — a standoff with direct implications for Paso Robles voters whose ballots are already flowing into the county elections office.

County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Elaina Cano issued a statement Oct. 26 responding to a DOJ letter that she said demanded confidential voter registration information and action affecting certain vote-by-mail ballots, the Paso Robles Daily News reported.

According to Cano's statement, a representative of the Department of Justice hand-delivered the letter to the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office on Oct. 23 — fewer than two weeks before the Nov. 3 Election Day.

What the letter demanded

Cano said the DOJ letter sought "confidential voter registration information and action on my part that would affect certain Vote-by-Mail ballots based on allegations of voter ineligibility."

Her response was blunt.

"Let me be unequivocal: My office follows the law, protects our voters' confidential information, and counts every legally cast ballot," Cano said in the statement.

The demand touches a nerve in a county where a large share of residents — including thousands in Paso Robles, Templeton and Atascadero — vote by mail. Any effort to set aside ballots based on a list of allegedly ineligible voters, without following statutory procedures, could affect local voters' ability to have their votes counted.

Cano pointed to California Elections Code Sections 15105 and 15106, which she said set out the requirements for challenging vote-by-mail voters — including when and how challenges may be made and the evidence required to support them.

"The demands presented in the DOJ's letter are not a substitute for those legally prescribed procedures," Cano said. "A list of individuals alleged to be ineligible to vote does not, on its own, authorize our office to set aside their ballots or disregard established election law."

She added: "We will not release protected voter information without appropriate legal authority, nor will we alter established election procedures in response to demands that are inconsistent with our legal obligations."

County Counsel reviewing the matter

The dispute may not end with Cano's statement. According to her office, the San Luis Obispo County Counsel's Office has acknowledged receipt of the DOJ letter and is reviewing the matter to determine a formal response.

It remains unclear what, if any, follow-up action the Department of Justice may take — whether through litigation, a subpoena, or other legal channels. Cano's statement noted that her office takes allegations of improper voter registration seriously and "will always cooperate with lawful investigations conducted through appropriate channels."

That distinction — between cooperating with lawful investigations and complying with demands that lack legal process — is the crux of the county's position. Election officials across California operate under state confidentiality rules for voter registration records, and Cano's statement signals the county intends to honor those rules absent a court order or other proper authority.

Why it matters for Paso Robles voters

For Paso Robles residents, the practical takeaway is that county election procedures are unchanged heading into Nov. 3. Vote-by-mail ballots will continue to be processed under the same rules the county has used throughout the current election cycle, and voters whose registrations are in order should expect their ballots to be counted as usual.

Ballots can be returned by mail, dropped off at official vote-by-mail drop boxes, or surrendered in person at a voting location or the county elections office in San Luis Obispo. Voters with questions about their registration status or ballot can check online or contact the elections office directly.

Cano, who has served as the county's clerk-recorder and registrar of voters, has emphasized throughout the cycle that the office's focus remains on administering a secure election. Her Oct. 26 statement reinforced that message.

"With Election Day on Nov. 3," Cano said, "our focus remains where it belongs: conducting a secure, fair, accurate, and transparent election."

A tense national backdrop

The exchange comes amid heightened scrutiny of election administration nationwide, with federal and state officials clashing over voter roll maintenance, ballot access and eligibility verification. Local election officials — including those in smaller counties like San Luis Obispo — have increasingly found themselves on the front lines of those disputes, fielding records demands and litigation threats while managing the mechanics of voting itself.

Cano's public statement, issued just days before ballots are finalized, amounts to a rare instance of a county elections office detailing a federal demand in real time rather than waiting for resolution behind the scenes.

What happens next depends in part on the County Counsel's formal response and whether the DOJ pursues further legal action. For now, county officials say, it's election season as usual.

Residents can find voter information, registration status checks and ballot-tracking tools at slovote.gov.