If Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for a special election to manipulate election maps, it could cost Fresno County up to $4 million.

Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus said a tight deadline could push up costs.

“My biggest concern is not the deadlines but the state paying for this election,” Kus said.

Kus said the county budgets for one scheduled election per fiscal year. The county bills local jurisdictions proportionally. The state is not charged for its items on the ballot such as Congress, Senate, and state Legislature races.

“Will (the state) take responsibility for the costs created by the election? The lateness of the election, combined with the lack of opportunity to prepare for the election, will drive up costs. Our rough numbers, since we still don’t know the full details the state will require, puts the cost in the $3-$4 million range. That’s more than 30% of our Fiscal Year 25-26 budget,” Kus said.

GV Wire reached out to legislative Democrats representing parts of Fresno County but did not receive responses.

Will the State Pay?

The governor’s office referred to comments Newsom made at a July 31 news conference on whether the state would pay.

Newsom said any amount accrued for an election is “priceless,” referencing an old MasterCard commercial.

“There’s too much at stake and I would just point you for consideration. How much did it cost to have the theatrics with the National Guard?” Newsom said, deflecting to the cost of Trump policies.

Newsom said costs will be mitigated by already-scheduled municipal elections for Nov. 4.

Fresno County has only one jurisdiction with an election scheduled for Nov. 4 — a special election for the small Del Rey Community Services District. Kus said there are only 497 registered voters in the district, less than 0.1% of all county voters.

Special Election Details Unknown

It is unclear what a special election will ask Californians to vote upon, or when that call may be. Newsom said he will make a “major announcement” at a Thursday news conference in southern California.

The Texas legislature wants to redistrict, which could add more seats for Republicans. However, that plan has stalled because Democrats fled the state. Texas rules require a two-thirds quorum to conduct business.

Newsom vowed to retaliate with redistricting in California. However, that power is granted by law to an independent commission. The commission draws the lines every 10 years for Congress, the state Assembly, state Senate and Board of Equalization based on census data.

He called the process “transparent.”

Newsom is working on a legal theory that the law establishing the commission does not prevent changing the lines in between. The state could ask voters to return that power to the Legislature, or present a new congressional map for a vote.

Blown Past Deadlines, But …

Normally, Kus said, election law requires 133 days from the call of an election until the actual date. But, the Legislature can override those details by a vote.

The absolute minimum is 45 days — by federal statute to send ballots to overseas military.

The primary is scheduled for June 2, 2026. The period to collect signatures in lieu of a filing fee opens Dec. 11, 2025.