Election 2020 live updates: How Fresno County voted in presidential, Congress races
Fresno County voters overwhelmingly favored former Vice President Joe Biden over President Donald Trump in unofficial election results, while races for central San Joaquin Valley congressional seats in District 21 and District 22 were much closer.
All Fresno County precincts were reported shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday with some 86,340 vote-by-mail, conditional voter registration and provisional ballots to be processed and counted as of Wednesday morning.
Official preliminary results had not been updated on the county’s election site. The next vote results update will be 3 p.m. Friday.
So far, Biden tallied 147,683 votes compared to Trump’s nearly 123,941 in Fresno County, or 53% to 44%, with 279,899 ballots cast.
That percentage was nearly flipped in Madera County’s unofficial results. With all precincts reported, Trump had 53% of the vote, to Biden’s 44%.
In Tulare County, Trump led with a slim margin before 11 p.m. with 259 of 271 precincts reporting. That margin widened by Wednesday morning. With 100% of the precincts reporting Trump had 53,034 and Biden 46,559.
Trump led in Kings County with 55% of the vote with nearly 90% of precincts reporting after 10 p.m. on election night. That number held once all precincts were reported.
Nationwide, early returns showed many battleground states were still too early to call. Biden won in California, as predicted.
Some battleground states that were still too early to call Tuesday night included North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Trump took Kansas and North Dakota, while Biden claimed victory in Arizona, Colorado and Virginia.
Voting centers closed
Turnout as of 9:50 p.m. on election night in Fresno County was more than half of the eligible population.
The Fresno County Clerk’s Office said total turnout was 53.83% with votes still left to count. In raw numbers, 266,860 of 495,748 eligible voters are represented in the returns as of 9:50 p.m.
Fresno County Clerk Brandi Orth said Tuesday night that all voting centers had been closed and there were no issues outstanding that her office was looking into.
How does this year compare to others?
This year’s election already saw strong voter turnout in Fresno County before Tuesday. As of Saturday, 220,000 already cast their vote. In the 2018 midterm, about 253,000 Fresno voters returned their ballots, and in the 2016 presidential election 287,000 people voted, data from the Fresno County Registrar of Voters shows.
Voter registration in the county leans heavily Democrat. About 195,000 are registered Democrat, 107,000 are No Party Preference and 161,000 are Republican.
In the last presidential election, Fresno County tallied more Democrat voters and voted soundly for the Democrat presidential candidate. In 2016, Fresno County voters preferred Hillary Clinton to Trump 49% to 43%.
What Fresnans think about the race
While standing in line around 6:15 p.m. at the vote center on Figarden Drive Tuesday evening, Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal and Sunny Dhaliwal, father and son, were still debating each other over who was the better presidential candidate.
Sunny, a 28-year-old Fresno State student, joked they had to drive in two different cars – one for Republicans and one for Democrats.
He called both candidates “hectic” and wished there was a viable third-party option. He worried educated voters would sit out the election because they assumed people would pick the right choice.
The elder Dhaliwal, 61, was more fired up about the importance of the election. “I’m in this line because our democracy is at stake,” he said, worrying the presidency was headed toward a dictatorship.
“He lies for everything,” Balwinder said about President Donald Trump. “He doesn’t take the advice from his advisors or doctors and he doesn’t let them speak the truth.”
Plus Trump doesn’t read and has created more enemies for the country.
He looked forward to having Kamala Harris, a California native and “smart” attorney, as the next vice president.
Sunny teased that his father was voting for the vice president rather than the actual presidential candidate. “I’m looking four years ahead,” his dad responded.
Sunny was skeptical of Joe Biden and the scandal with his son, Hunter Biden.
“Both sides are corrupt,” he said about the two candidates. “But I’m going for Trump, because when he says something, there’s something behind it. He’s more direct and open. You always know what he’s going to do next.”
“This is fun. I’m going to win,” his dad said.
At Inspiration Park, Vanessa Rodriguez, 32, was excited to vote, comparing it to the Super Bowl. She was confident Trump would win.
“He’s done quite a bit,” she said. “A lot of Americans came together for one united purpose (under Trump) instead of being at odds. I’ve watched a lot of his rallies and they’re all about love and respect and uniting the American people.”
Keya Moore, also at Inspiration Park Tuesday evening, was eager to see the outcome of the election. She voted for Biden because of his experience as vice president and what he was able to accomplish with former President Barack Obama.
She didn’t like the way Trump handled the coronavirus pandemic.
“They both might not be the best candidates,” she said. “Either way, we’ll see what happens. Hopefully they do their best.”
KeKe Hogan, 42, was still undecided when she showed up to vote at the West Regional Center. She shared a similar view as Moore: “In all honestly, I don’t think either one is a good candidate.”
She said she felt Biden was using the Black Lives Matter movement to help his campaign, but he probably lost votes when he said “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black” during a radio interview, Hogan said.
“You vote for what works better for you life, your family and your views. It’s not based on your race,” she said.
On the flip side, Hogan saw Trump’s behavior with the coronavirus frightening, particularly how he refused to wear a mask at rallies and debates.
Ultimately, she was still weighing who to vote for “all the way until you get that paper” in the ballot booth, she said.
Just ahead of Hogan at the West Regional Center, 22-year-old Anthony Hoffman was in line only because his family and friends convinced him to vote. He said he wasn’t up-to-date on each candidate’s policies and felt confused about the decision, but he was leaning toward a Biden vote.
He was there with a friend, 22-year-old Mauricio Quintana, who said he was just trying to vote for the best choice. He said he thinks Biden will do more to help the younger generation.
Congressional, Assembly races
Democratic challenger Phil Arballo fell behind Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare for the 22nd District race with early returns, but Nunes’ lead remained slim.
In the 21st District, Rep. TJ Cox and David Valadao remained in a close race in their rematch.
Rep. Jim Costa held a substantial lead over his Republican challenger, Kevin Cookingham, in the 16th District.
In the state Assembly races in Fresno County districts, Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, had a steady lead over his Republican challenger Fernando Banuelos. Assemblymember Jim Patterson was unchallenged this year.
In the south Valley, Democratic challenger Drew Phelps took an early lead over Assemblymember Devon Mathis, but later fell behind. The race remained close late Tuesday.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 8:16 PM.