A Grover Beach-based resident who attempted to challenge 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg in the upcoming primary via a write-in candidacy hasn't lived in the district long enough yet to do so.

• Photo Taken From Michelle Morrow's Facebook
• RESTART Michelle Morrow, a potential challenger for the 3rd District supervisor election, found her write-in candidacy to be ineligible because she hasn't lived within the district for the required minimum of 30 days.

But that could change in mid-February.

Michelle Morrow, a musician and founder of a referral agency for senior citizens called Morrow Support, recently filed paperwork to run in the district that covers Edna Valley, Avila, Pismo Beach, parts of Grover Beach, and the majority of SLO. But residency requirements prevent the SLO County Clerk-Recorder's Office from accepting her candidacy papers.

"One of the qualifications is that candidates must be a resident of the district for which they are running in for at least 30 days," SLO County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano told New Times on Jan. 31. "Her 30th day at her new residence will be Feb. 14. So, on Feb. 15, she will be eligible and need to return her paperwork no later than Feb. 19 in order to be considered a write-in candidate."

SLO County is currently in the write-in period for the March 5 primary election. According to the California Elections Code, a resident who wants to be an official write-in candidate must file their statement and circulate nomination papers for signatures from registered voters within the boundaries of the office they seek. They need between 40 and 100 signatures depending on the seat they're running for.

Cano added that Morrow hasn't submitted any signatures yet. The write-in period continues through Feb. 20.

The main difference between a write-in candidate and a regular candidate is that the write-in nominee will not have their name on the ballot nor a statement in the Voter Information Guide, Cano said. This is because primary ballots contain at least one line for a write-in candidate in every race, and voters often write the names of anyone they'd like to see serve in that office. Only names qualified as official write-in candidates can count as actual votes.

"It will be up to the candidate to campaign and get the word out to eligible voters and inform them that they have qualified to be a certified write-in candidate," the clerk-recorder said.

Morrow declined to speak to New Times. She declared her campaign for the "nonpartisan position" in a Jan. 28 Facebook post.

"I was one of many who were considered to be recruited to run for District 3 San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors," she wrote. "I was the one who stepped up to the plate, despite the fact that I'm busy as I own and operate a business and produce a live local event."

Morrow added that she's a proponent of Proposition 13—the 1978 state constitutional amendment that limits annual increases in property taxes with inflation in mind—and "keeping taxes affordable." She said that she will focus on the topics of water, homelessness, housing, and fentanyl poisoning.

It is unclear who the group behind her nomination is. Morrow's campaign finance filings list the Committee to Elect Michelle Morrow for District 3 SLO County Supervisor as a funding recipient. Her Facebook post urged people to contact county residents "Sandy Boo"—Sandra Bocchicchio—and Marlea Harmon if they wanted to contribute money or organize meetings.

Bocchicchio didn't respond to New Times' request for comment. According to county documents, Harmon personally served 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson the notice of intention to circulate a recall petition against him on Nov. 28, 2023, as part of the reinvigorated attempt to remove him from office.

Though rare, a write-in candidate's victory isn't unheard of in SLO County. In 2014, Arroyo Grande gained a new mayor through write-in candidate Jim Hill. He beat out longtime incumbent Mayor Tony Ferrara, who held the city's top post for 12 years, by 95 votes.

If Morrow eventually qualifies as a write-in candidate, she would be the only challenger to Ortiz-Legg, who's currently running unopposed. According to her Facebook page, Morrow is studying the county's budget, underscoring one of her priorities of ensuring transparency.

"Do you know who or what the supervisors supervise?" she wrote in her post. "Do you know who supervises the supervisors?" Δ