Here’s what you need to know as Election Day nears in Fresno, Tulare counties
Almost 220,000 Fresno County residents have already cast their votes, either by mail or at official drop-off boxes, for Tuesday’s presidential general election.
That was the total number of ballots returned so far to the Fresno County Election Division as of Saturday, already eclipsing the mail-ballot total from four years ago.
With only one full day left before Election Day, Fresno County’s first all-mail-ballot general election appears poised to surpass the 291,890 votes that were cast by mail and at polling places in the 2016 presidential election. Ballots returned by mail and postmarked on or before Nov. 3 will be accepted by elections officials at least through Nov. 8.
At this late point in the election cycle, however, Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Brandi Orth is suggesting dropping ballots at official boxes or voting in person. Returning a ballot by mail is cutting it “perilously close” because ballots must be postmarked by Election Day to be counted, Orth told The Bee on Friday.
The 217,223 early ballots amount to almost 44% of the county’s registered voters. Of the ballots received to date, more than half have come in through 66 official, secured drop-off boxes scattered throughout the county. That’s already a higher level of turnout than Fresno County experienced in the March primary.
More than 50 voting centers opened on Saturday where people who opt against mailing their ballot can drop off their ballot or vote in person.
In Tulare County, elections officials had received more than 72,000 ballots by Friday. That’s already 36% of the county’s registered voters.
The changes from precinct-based voting and absentee mail-ballots of previous years are the result of the Voters Choice Act, aimed at making it easier and more convenient to vote. The VCA measures, including sending every registered voter a ballot by mail and reducing the number of polling places, were first implemented in Fresno County in the March primary. In the primary, a total of just over 199,000 votes were cast, or about 42% of 471,149 registered voters.
Decisions past president
Registration in Fresno County for Tuesday’s general election has grown to more than 496,400, fueled by vigorous voter registration efforts and interest in not only the presidential race between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, but also a slew of statewide ballot measures and local offices, including what are expected to be potentially close races.
Among those is the contest in the 21st Congressional District, encompassing parts of Fresno, Kings and Kern counties. TJ Cox, the Democratic incumbent from Fresno, faces Hanford Republican David Valadao in a rematch of the 2018 election. That race, in which Cox narrowly defeated the then-incumbent Valadao, was undecided for days because the vote totals were so tight.
Other important congressional contests are the 22nd District race in Fresno and Tulare counties between Devin Nunes, the incumbent Republican from Hanford, and Democratic challenger Phil Arballo of Fresno; and the 16th District in Fresno, Madera and Merced counties with Democratic incumbent Jim Costa of Fresno and his Republican challenger from Madera, Kevin Cookingham.
