Fresno County turnout on track to surpass recent primaries. See election guides here
With just one day ahead of Election Day and many local high-stakes races, there’s a real chance voter turnout in Fresno County could surpass other recent primary elections.
As of Saturday, the Fresno County Clerk’s office had received 72,982 early ballots, according to county data.
Of those, 40,711 were mail-in ballots, and another 32,271 were dropped off at a drop box location.
The vote count so far is higher than the past two primary elections, 2022 and 2024, as of Saturday’s count, Fresno County Registrar of Voters James Kus told The Bee.
“If that holds through Election Day, we should have our highest participation in a primary since 2020 and possibly our highest gubernatorial primary participation this century,” Kus said.
Locally, there are four competitive races for seats on the Fresno City Council — Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 — as well as two seats on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors — Districts 1 and 4 — and the big statewide ticket item to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Of the 525,147 registered voters in Fresno County, 194,703 are registered Democrats, and 173,582 are registered Republicans, according to county data. Another 112,120 voters have no party preference listed.
Kus said there are still many variables that could impact final participation in the election, including high temperatures expected Monday and Tuesday.
Early vote-by-mail ballots were delivered in early May for the June 2 election. Statewide, only 15% of ballots mailed out have been returned just one day from Election Day.
Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by election offices within seven days. Instead of mailing it in, voters can submit their ballot at a drop-off location or vote in-person at the polls on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your nearest polling place here.
For a candidate to secure a seat in the local elections, they must receive over 50% of the vote. If no one secures a majority of the vote, the top two candidates advance to the November general election.
Election results will be updated three times on the Fresno County Clerk’s website after polls close on Tuesday: around 8 p.m., 10 p.m., and midnight.
Madera County has seen one of the biggest voter registration spikes in California
Madera County, Fresno’s neighbor, has seen one of the highest voter registration spikes in the state ahead of the 2026 primary election. It’s a 14.5% jump, with over 10,000 more people registered.
That’s according to new data from the Secretary of State, showing California overall has seen its largest increase in voter registration since the last gubernatorial election in 2022.
Three seats on the Madera County Board of Supervisors are on the ballot, including two incumbent races.
Of the 82,440 registered voters in Madera County, 25,588 are registered Democrats and 32,333 are registered Republicans, according to the data. Another 17,135 have no party preference listed.
Still deciding your vote? Read our local voter guides, watch our candidate forums
Read the Fresno City Council District 1 voter guide here. Watch the District 1 candidate forum here.
Read the Fresno City Council District 3 voter guide here. Watch the District 3 candidate forum here.
Read the Fresno City Council District 5 voter guide here. Watch the District 5 candidate forum here.
Read the Fresno City Council District 7 voter guide here. Watch the District 7 candidate forum here.
Read the Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 1 voter guide here.
Read the Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 4 voter guide here.
Read the Madera County Board of Supervisors voter guide here.