General election ballot set for Nov. 5 in Fresno. What you need to know before voting
Fresno County voters face a ballot that’s chock full of contests for the Nov. 5 general election. The exact candidates and races on your ballot depends on your exact address.
While the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and Republican former President Donald Trump will dominate most of the attention through Election Day, there are significant down-ballot races for U.S. Senate, Congress, and state Senate and Assembly seats up and down the central San Joaquin Valley.
The ballot also includes two hotly contested races for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors; a seat on the Fresno City Council; board seats and bond measures for the Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified and Central Unified school districts; and a proposed sales tax increase for public safety and other city services in Clovis.
That doesn’t even include dozens of seats that are up for election in smaller cities, school boards and special districts across Fresno County, as well as tax proposals and school bond measures.
With all of that in store, here’s what you’ll need to know before ballots are mailed out to voters on Oct. 7, based on information from the Elections Division of the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters.
When can I vote?
Even though Election Day officially isn’t until Nov. 5, once you receive your ballot in the mail you’ll be able to vote right away, starting on Oct. 7, almost a month early.
Ballots will be mailed between Sept. 6 and Sept. 21 to registered Fresno County voters who are in the military or overseas.
Oct. 29 will be the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot from the Election Division of the Fresno County Clerk-Registrar of Voters.
How can I vote?
The Fresno County Elections Division will have secure drop-off boxes located throughout Fresno and in communities across the county where voters can return their ballots starting on Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. The Elections Office at 2221 Kern St. in downtown Fresno will also be open for voting from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5.
Ballots can be returned by mail through the U.S. Postal Service, as long as they are postmarked no later than Nov. 5 and are received by the Elections Office by Nov. 12.
Fresno County also is a Voters Choice Act county, where some early-voting centers will open on Oct. 26 through Nov. 5. Four-day voting centers will open on Nov. 2 through Nov. 5.
Voting on Election Day at vote centers or at the county Elections Office will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
What if I’m not registered to vote yet?
To vote in California, you must be a at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a resident of California. Oct. 21 is the last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 general election. You can register online to vote through the California Secretary of State’s voter registration website at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration.
What’s on the ballot?
This is where it gets a little tricky. The only contests that will appear on the ballot for every Fresno County voter are races for president and U.S. Senate. Everything else will depend on where you live, based on your congressional district, state Assembly or Senate district, or city, school district or special district.
For now, let’s just focus on the local stuff.
Fresno County Board of Supervisors: Two seats on five-member Fresno County Board of Supervisors are being contested, both encompassing different parts of the Fresno metro area:
- In District 2, covering northeast and northwest Fresno, incumbent Supervisor Steve Brandau is challenged by Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld.
- In District 3, which covers southeast and southwest Fresno, incumbent Supervisor Sal Quintero faces a challenge by Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez.
Fresno City Council District 6: There’s a runoff for the Fresno County District 6 seat representing northeast Fresno between the top two vote-getters in the March 5 primary: Marine reservist/pilot Nick Richardson and attorney Roger Bonakdar. Incumbent Garry Bredefeld is term-limited from seeking re-election.
Fresno Unified School District board of trustees: Three seats on the Fresno Unified school board are up for election on Nov. 5, all of which are contested.
- In Area 2, incumbent trustee Elizabeth “Rosas” Jonasson is challenged by student Joseph Aquino.
- In Area 5, incumbent trustee Andy Levine is challenged by James Martinez, currently a member of the Fresno County Board of Education.
- In Area 6, incumbent trustee Claudia Cazares is challenged by retired educator Daniel Bordona.
Clovis Unified School District board of trustees: Two seats on the Clovis Unified board are up for election, one of which has no incumbent in the race.
- Area 2: With no incumbent in the race, the candidates are mother and author Molly DeFrank, educator and executive director Wilma Tom Hashimoto, and educator Janet S. Kardashian.
- Area 4: Incumbent trustee Hugh Awtrey is challenged by behavior analyst Gina Vue.
Central Unified School District board of trustees: Two seats on the Central Unified board are up for election, each with an incumbent trustee facing a challenger.
- Area 3: Incumbent Phillip Cervantes is challenged by educator Natalie Chavez.
- Area 5: Incumbent Richard A. Solis is challenged by Jaspreet Sidhu, a registered nurse.
State Center Community College District: One seat is up for election on the governing board that oversees Fresno City College, Reedley College, Clovis Community College, Madera Community College and an Oakhurst center.
- Area 2: Incumbent trustee Nasreen Michelle Johnson is challenged by workforce development leader Pablo Villagrana.
City of Clovis public safety tax (Measure Y): Voters in Clovis are being asked whether to impose a new 1% sales tax to help cover the cost of public safety and other city services. Measure Y requires a simple majority of 50% plus one vote to pass.
School bonds: A dozen school districts, including the State Center Community College District, are asking voters to approve general obligation bonds that would increase property tax assessments to pay for improvements for facilities and other needs. Collectively, those proposals would add up to more than $2 billion.
- Measure Q - State Center Community College District: A $698 million bond that requires a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure H - Fresno Unified School District: A $500 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure A - Clovis Unified School District: A $400 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure X - Central Unified School District: A $109 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure M - Sanger Unified School District: a $175 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure D - Dinuba Unified School District (mostly in neighboring Tulare County): A $42 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure F - Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District (includes part of neighboring Madera County): a $25 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure U - Sierra Unified School District: a $24.15 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure K - Kingsburg Joint Union High School District (includes part of neighboring Kings and Tulare counties): A $20 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure C - West Hills Community College District (includes part of neighboring San Benito and Monterey counties): A $19 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure P - Parlier Unified School District: A $14.1 million bond requiring a 55% majority vote to pass.
- Measure L - Laton Joint Unified School District (includes part of neighboring Kings County): A $9.7 million bond requiring a 55% majority to pass.
Other Fresno County cities: Among smaller cities across the county, seats for mayor are up for election in Kerman, Sanger and Selma, and city council seats are contested in Fowler, Mendota, Orange Cove, Parlier, Reedley, Sanger, San Joaquin and Selma. In other cities, there are seats that are uncontested with only one candidate appearing on the ballot. Those include Clovis, Coalinga, Firebaugh, Huron, Kerman, Reedley and Sanger. Voters in the cities of Sanger and Coalinga are being asked to extend existing sales tax supplements — Measure R for public safety in Sanger and Measure J for general city purposes in Coalinga.
Other Fresno County school districts: Trustee positions are up for election in the West Hills Community College District, Caruthers Unified School District, Coalinga-Huron Unified School District, Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District, Golden Plains Unified School District, Kerman Unified School District, Mendota Unified School District, Parlier Unified School District, Sanger Unified School District, Selma Unified School District, Sierra Unified School District, Monson-Sultana Joint Union Elementary School District, Raisin City Elementary School District and the West Park Elementary School District.
Fresno County special districts: Among special districts with races on the Nov. 5 ballot are the Biola Community Services District, Kingsburg Health Care District, Laguna Irrigation District, Orange Cove Fire District, Orange Cove Police District, Riverdale Public Utility District, and Selma Health Care District.
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 3:31 PM.
