It's here! + A child care paradox + Moving forward: This week in Outspoken

Nov. 3--It is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and this is the Outspoken newsletter.

What's up, young SLO County!

The day is finally here. Can you believe it?

Election Day is today, and we know that you all have been good citizens and turned in your ballots already -- but just in case, we've compiled a last-minute guide to voting in SLO County that will make your trip to the polls a breeze.

We do this because it's more important than ever for young San Luis Obispo County residents to cast their ballots and get involved in the civic process.

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Older voters are showing up -- the latest number show a turnout rate of more than 81% for the 65 and older demographic -- but young voters? Not so much. As of this weekend, only about 47% of local registered voters between the ages of 18 and 34 have turned in their ballots.

Only by getting involved in the process will young SLO County truly be able to make their voices heard.

On that note, we have a few words on Outspoken and our plans moving forward.

We hope that the information we've provided has been helpful to you, but we know there is so much more that we can do.

The issues you told us about don't disappear with the election of mayors or city council members. We still want to dive deeper into affordable housing for instance, or the interesting paradox of affordable child care (see more on this below).

As we look at the end of election season, and the hard work ahead, we want to get your opinions: Would you like more Outspoken? Do you want more reporting focused on SLO County's under 40 residents? What would you like to see?

Share your thoughts with us at the Google form here.

It's been a joy doing this with you, young SLO County. You'll be hearing more from us soon.

Kaytlyn and Cassandra

Last-minute voting got you scratching your head?

Look, we've all done it before: Waited until last minute to vote and then spent several torturous hours trying to cram in information on all the candidates, propositions (WHY ARE THERE SO MANY?!?!) and various local tax measures on the ballots.

Add in the unusual circumstances of this pandemic-shadowed election and the changes to how you can even cast your ballot, and voting on Election Day can seem like a daunting task.

Never fear, your questions are answered here.

We can even help a bit with deciding who to vote for. Check out The Tribune's Voter Guide to see where candidates stand on a range of issues, including several Outspoken-specific topics.

Got other questions/concerns? Hit us up!

Child care: Unaffordable for parents and workers

One thing we heard from many young families was the plight of finding and affording child care in SLO County.

The numbers are shocking: In SLO County, child care for a baby can cost a family a whopping $11,511 -- more than a year's tuition plus fees to Cal Poly. That means a family earning a median income of about $70,000 could expect to spend about 16% of its income on care for one baby. Lower income families or those with more than one kid are hit even harder.

But guess what? Child care workers themselves are also struggling. In what one source called "one of the biggest economic and budgetary paradoxes we have in society," child care workers are routinely paid minimum wage and work without benefits, while parents pay exorbitant costs.

So what can be done? Pay workers more. Now how exactly you do that is a little more complicated. Check out the story to find out more.

ICYMI

Here are some of the other Outspoken stories we've published, just in case you missed them:

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SLO County city councils are almost 90% white. Young voters want change, and here's how

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How diverse are SLO County city councils? Not very. Here are 3 possible solutions

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2020 could be 'year of the young voter' -- but it's not happening in SLO County yet

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Young SLO County voters want candidates to talk about racism. Here's what they said

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SLO County is expensive. Here's how candidates say they can keep young people from fleeing

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What do young SLO County voters care about the most? Here's their Citizens' Agenda

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Where can you drop off your SLO County ballot?

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Here's everything you need to know about voting in SLO County this election

Go vote everyone!

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