Fresno is doing voting by mail this election. Here’s how it’s going so far
The number of ballots returned in Fresno County’s primary election is so far outpacing the 2018 election’s turnout, according to numbers from the Clerk’s Office.
The March 3 primary is the first time Fresno County has gone to a vote-by-mail ballot system. Past elections have used a mix of ballots delivered to mailboxes and other handed out to those who showed up to the polls on Election Day.
Almost 62,000 ballots this year have been mailed in or dropped off in ballot bins through Saturday, according to Brandi Orth, the registrar of voters.
The 2018 election had received 48,500 ballots in the same amount of time before Election Day.
The most visible race in Fresno pits Andrew Janz against Jerry Dyer for the mayor’s seat. There are five other candidates: Bill Gates, Floyd Harris Jr., Brian Jefferson, Richard Renteria and Nickolas Wildstar.
If any candidate gets 50% plus one vote of the ballots cast, they are the next mayor. Otherwise the top two vote-getters go to a runoff in November.
Fresno’s District 4 has two candidates looking for their first elected office in Nathan Alonzo and Tyler Maxwell.
A number of school districts are asking voters to approve a school bond, which is funded through property taxes, for school projects. That’s districts in Fresno, Clovis and Parlier, to name a few.
The election also will help decide who faces President Donald Trump in November.
For questions about the election or to get ballot help, call 559-600-8683 or go to www.votefresnocounty.com.
OTHER COUNTIES
For information about voting in other central San Joaquin Valley counties, contact the local election office.
Kings: 559-852-4401 or countyofkings.com/elections
Madera: 559-675-7720 or 800-435-0509 or votemadera.com
Mariposa: 209-966-2007 or mariposacounty.org/elections
Merced: 209-385-7541 or 800-561-0619 or co.merced.ca.us/elections
Tulare: 559-624-7300 or tularecoelections.org/elections
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 3:16 PM.
