Why are Fresno County staffers under scrutiny ahead of California governor recall election?
Fresno County elections workers, who are collecting and processing recall ballots, have drawn the attention of daily observers who question the process, according to Registrar of Voters James Kus.
The most prominent organization watching employees in Fresno County has been from the Election Integrity Project.
The organization states it is nonpartisan, although the Los Angeles Times reported the group rose from the conservative tea party movement. The organization says it has trained 4,000 observers to watch the recall election in California and Nevada.
Kus said the warehouse where elections staffers process ballots has drawn an average of four or five spectators a day from the Election Integrity Project.
Representatives of the project could not immediately be reached for comment.
The group’s members have routinely attended Fresno County Board of Supervisors meetings to express distrust in the elections process, and specifically in the Dominion Voting Systems.
Watchers have also been seen in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Meanwhile, about 190,000 ballots had been returned as of Monday morning from the 501,955 registered voters in Fresno County, Kus said. That is about a 37.8% turnout so far for the election to decide whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Kus has predicted at turnout as high as 55% by the time polls close and all of the vote-mail-ballots are tallied. He said it would take a very high last minute push to get up to 60%.
Of those ballots, about 130,000 came through the mail, according to elections staff.
The only other recall in recent memory — the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis in favor of action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger — saw a 56% turnout, according to election staff. The county looks significantly different this year.
More on elections watchers
Kus said watchers have also shown up to voting centers, but only those who enter the warehouse are required to mark a sign-in sheet and identify which organization they are with.
“Most observers have been very polite and followed the rules and instructions from the secretary of state and Fresno County,” Kus said, adding some observers can become disruptive with too many questions. “A ton of questions does become a burden for our workers.”
The observers with an abundance of questions should direct them at the registrar’s office and not those processing the ballots, Kus said.
Observers at voting centers, although they don’t have to sign in, are supposed to wear badges and identify themselves when asked. “Fresno County follows California elections law. We audit all of our processes,” Kus said. “We take it very seriously.”
Still campaigning
Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley plans to stop in Fresno at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Fresno Republican Headquarters, 770 E. Shaw, Suite 220.
He is supposed to participate in a phone bank as well, according to a news release.
Last minute voting tips
Ballots can still be sent in the mail and will be counted as long as they are postmarked on Tuesday, Sept. 14, elections staff said.
The ballot has two questions. The first is a “yes or no” question on whether to recall Newsom. The second question is a vote on who should be his replacement.
It is too late to register online to be able to vote, but anyone can still visit the downtown registrar’s office, 2221 Kern St. near L Street, or a voting center to register.
Voting centers will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to drop ballots or vote in-person, and ballots can also be dropped at any drop box until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Some Fresno drop box locations:
The Fresno Center, 4879 E. Kings Canyon Road
Mary Ella Brown Community Center, 1350 E. Annadale Ave.
Manchester Transit Center, 3590 N. Blackstone Ave.
River Park, 250 Paseo Del Centro
Tower District, 1226 N. Wishon Ave.
Campus Pointe, 3090 E. Campus Pointe Drive
Clovis Veterans Memorial District, 808 Fourth St.
Clinton and Brawley Shopping Center, 2450 N. Brawley Ave.
Some of the voting centers:
Clovis
Clovis City Utility Building, 1033 Fifth St.
Fresno
Betty Rodriguez Library, 3040 N. Cedar Ave.
Cecil C. Hinton Community Center, 2385 S. Fairview Ave.
Woodward Park Regional Library, 944 E. Perrin Ave.
Sunnyside Library, 5566 E. Kings Canyon Road
Ted C. Wills Community Center, 770 N. San Pablo Ave.
Sanger
Sanger Community Center, 730 Recreation Ave.
San Joaquin
Leo Cantu Community Center, 22058 Railroad St.
Selma
Selma City Hall Annex, 1711 Tucker St.
Questions?
The registrar’s website, fresnovote.com, is updated regularly with changes to drop box locations. Voters can also use the online tool to find the nearest drop box.
Anyone can check the status of their ballot at the “Where’s My Ballot?” page from the California Secretary of State’s Office. For any ballot problems and fixes, call the county registrar’s office at 559-600-8683.
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 2:46 PM.
