Here’s how Fresno’s new system for all-mail voting is going so far
The Fresno County Registrar of Voters Office has collected 108,343 ballot envelopes with two weeks left until Election Day.
That is more than double the amount (46,279) collected 14 days before the 2016 election.
The comparison isn’t an exact one-to-one. In 2016, only those who requested an absentee ballot could vote early and mail it back. This year, every registered voter got a mail-in ballot, which could be sent back or dropped off in an official ballot drop box.
Voters no longer are assigned to a specific precinct.
About 60% of the returned ballots came through the mail and the rest have been collected from the drop boxes.
A total of 132,760 people in Fresno County mailed in ballots in 2016, a total that could be surpassed by the end of the week if the envelopes keep up the pace of several thousand a day, according to numbers from the registrar’s office.
With 481,837 registered voters in Fresno County this year, 22.5% have already returned their ballots through Tuesday morning. Two weeks out from the 2016 election, about 10% of mail-in ballots had been returned, records show.
Almost 70% of registered voters turned out in Fresno County in November 2016.
Nearly 4 million ballots in the state have been returned, which is 18% of registered voters, according to Political Data Inc. Registered Democrats have returned ballots at 22%, compared to 16% of Republicans.
The races
President Donald Trump is seeking re-election against challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden, but a number of local races are at stake including three congressional races.
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, faces businessman Kevin Cookingham in the 16th Congressional District.
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, is looking to hold off the challenge to the 22nd Congressional seat from Phil Arballo, a small business owner.
Rep. TJ Cox, D-Fresno, has a familiar challenger in farmer David Valadao, who had the 21st seat until losing to Cox in 2018.
There are many municipal, school and special district elections on central San Joaquin Valley ballots, plus a slew of state propositions.
How to vote
The ballots can be taken to any of 66 county drop boxes. Fifty-three election centers will open Oct. 31 through Election Day, Nov. 3, for in-person voting. The 2221 Kern St. Fresno County Registrar’s of Voters Office is open now on weekdays for in-person voting, too.
For a full list of drop boxes and voting centers, go to fresnovote.com.
Anyone can check the status of their ballot at the “Where’s My Ballot?” page for the Caifornia Secratary of State’s Office.
Elections staffers often remind voters to sign the ballot before dropping it in a box. Voting early gives elections officials a chance to correct any issues that come up related to a signature.
To report problems with a ballot or for any other troubleshooting, call the registrar’s office at 559-600-8683.
