Court struck down Fresno election plan for low-voter count years. County to appeal
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors said Tuesday they will appeal a court ruling that elections for top law enforcement leaders must be held during presidential elections, when voter turnout is highest.
The county lost the lawsuit last week brought by state Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber, which argued setting the election on gubernatorial cycles was against state law.
The supervisors on Tuesday discussed the case in closed session, and released a statement afterward.
“The county respectfully disagrees with the superior court and intends to challenge the ruling in the court of appeal,” the statement read in full.
The supervisors came to a consensus and no vote was taken, according to county spokesperson Sonja Dosti.
A Fresno County Superior Court judge ruled June 2 to invalidate Fresno County’s Measure A. The 2024 ballot initiative that passed and aligned Fresno County District Attorney and Sheriff elections with the off cycle, which has a lower voter turnout than those on the presidential cycle.
The measure passed with a 55% vote but was at odds with an earlier law, Assembly Bill 759, that aligned the elections.
Gubernatorial races across the state routinely draw lower numbers of voters than presidential. The most recent presidential election in Fresno in 2024 saw an almost 60% turnout, while the off cycle election two years earlier drew 27% of voters.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 3:25 PM.
