The procrastinator’s guide on voting in Fresno: It’s not too late to register
Fresno County is headed into the home stretch of the election and time is running out to vote on the mayor seat, presidential primary and several other important races.
Fifty-three voting centers citywide are still taking ballots from anyone who wants to walk in and haven’t already mailed it in.
Even if a resident is not registered to vote, election staff at the centers can help those people register all the way through Election Day, March 3.
“Last weekend the 10 vote centers opened without a problem,” Registrar of Voters Brandi Orth said Friday. “We are in the process of setting up the remaining 43 sites (Friday) and we expect a good launch (Saturday).”
Orth said each voter was notified by mail of the change in the voting system in December and January before the ballots went out in February.
The primary is the first time in Fresno County that every registered voter was mailed a ballot. They’ve begun to roll in through the mail or at drop boxes.
Early counts showed the returned ballots outpacing the 2018 election. As of Friday, however, the County Clerk’s Office reported 88,135 ballots returned compared to 92,607 at the same point in the 2018 election.
Where to vote
All 53 centers are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Election Day.
The County Clerk’s Office has encouraged anyone who can to vote early. Election Day will likely see longer lines.
A full list of centers can be found on the Registrar of Voters website, www.fresnovote.com.
For anyone not sure if they’re registered, look up your voter status at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov. That site also allows you to see if your ballot has been processed.
The races
The city of Fresno is picking a new mayor. The top two candidates appear to be prosecutor Andrew Janz and former Police Chief Jerry Dyer. There are five long shots running.
There is a chance that seat is decided on Tuesday, but if no candidate gets 50% plus one vote, then a runoff will happen in November.
With only two candidates in the Fresno City Council District 4 election — Nathan Alonzo and Tyler Maxwell — that race is expected to be settled in the primary. Alonzo works as director of external affairs for Caglia Family of Companies and Maxwell works as a staffer for Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza.
Then there’s the presidential primary, where voters may help decide which Democrat faces President Donald Trump in November.
The ballot also features a number of school bonds, which voters will see depending on where they live.
Other tips
If you never got your ballot by mail, you can walk into any of the voting centers and ask for help.
Do not forget to sign the envelope before dropping off the ballot. That’s already been a problem for many ballots.
No Party Preference voters must request a presidential ballot, which they can do at any voting center. Not all political parties allow NPP voters to vote in their presidential primary.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 3:47 PM.
