When will we know who won? Questions about Fresno County’s first election under new system
Tuesday’s primary election is the first in Fresno County under the California Voter’s Choice Act. This dramatically changed the way Fresno County votes, with every registered voter receiving a ballot in the mail in early February.
To be crystal-clear about what to expect, I called Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Brandi Orth, who answered some questions that are on the minds of many voters.
How many votes have been cast so far? Have they already been counted?
The Fresno County elections office has received 113,833 ballots through Tuesday morning. Of those, 98,835 arrived through the mail and 14,998 were left in drop boxes.
Those ballots have been counted and the returns will be posted to the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters site around 8:05 p.m. Election Night.
When will the votes cast Tuesday be counted?
Election workers will count ballots cast Tuesday at polling centers. Orth expects to have these counted by late evening, and will update results throughout the night.
What ballots won’t be counted Tuesday night?
Ballots cast Tuesday at voting centers by voters who weren’t previously registered to vote will not be counted Tuesday night. These provisional ballots must undergo a verification process to ensure the voter has the right to vote in Fresno County. Once this is complete, the ballot will be counted or rejected. This process could take days or weeks depending upon how many provisional ballots were cast.
Voters who mailed their ballots with a postmark as late as Tuesday will have their ballots counted once they’re received by Orth’s office. Any ballots that arrive after Friday – no matter when they were mailed – will be rejected.
Orth will release new vote totals at 3 p.m. Friday. This will happen again at 3 p.m. on March 11, and 3 p.m. on March 13.
How long could it take to know winners?
It depends on how many ballots are left to count and how close individual races are. In 2018, it took weeks to determine the winner of the 21st Congressional District, which was won by T.J. Cox.. The Associated Press even called the race for the incumbent, David Valadao, on election night.
What races are likely to go down to the wire?
Some races will be landslides and will be easy to call. Others may be closer.
The race for Fresno mayor has the potential to fall into the “too close to call” category. If one of the candidates wins 50 percent plus one vote, he will be mayor-elect and will take office early next year. If no candidate hits the 50 percent threshold, then the top two vote-getters move on to a runoff in November. Seven candidates are in the race.
