How did voting go in central San Joaquin Valley? County clerks report
After some early voting hiccups Tuesday, voters from all corners of the central San Joaquin Valley cast their ballots on a big and busy voting day.
Across Fresno County, some voting centers had connection issues, but the problems were resolved before noon, according to county Registrar Brandi Orth. As many as 14 other counties in the state also saw issues with voting.
But while some issues did arise, officials in other places also reported a smooth process for voters. Tulare County officials said Tuesday night that there had been a glitch with the ballot-marking devices for conditional ballots.
Tulare County officials said they expected to have a clear result on turnout by next week.
A new state law mandated that polling centers provide ballots on the same day as voting for those who miss their chance earlier.
Emily Olivera, speaking on behalf of the Tulare County registrar, said though there were some issues with marking ballots, voters were still able to use paper ballots.
By 11 p.m., Madera County officials reported a nearly 37% voter turnout, with the number expected to rise as votes were counted. In Fresno County, where under half a million ballots were sent out, turnout hovered at just under 25% by 11 p.m. as votes were counted.
Both Fresno and Madera are using systems under the California Voter’s Choice Act, which did away with the old precinct system and gave voters a month to vote by mail or in person. It was a first for Fresno; Madera used the system first in 2018.
Madera County Registrar Rebecca Martinez said issues arising at the polling centers were expected, as they are every year.
But she said nothing kept voters from voting. And there were no issues that kept voters in line longer than they should have, she said.
In California if voters are in line by 8 p.m., they can remain in line and still cast their vote even after polling centers have closed.
