Fresno may have its most watched-over election ever.

Voters are currently deciding Proposition 50, which would change the state Constitution to allow for redrawn congressional maps, six years ahead of the regular cycle.

A week after the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would send election monitors to Fresno County — and California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would send his own monitors — the Fresno City Council will also have attorneys watching over polling places.

The city council voted 6-0 in closed session Thursday to send the monitors. Councilmember Tyler Maxwell was absent.

At a news conference Thursday after the vote, Councilmember Nelson Esparza said it was about transparency and confidence.

“This is an effort to ensure transparency and to attempt to quell the concerns and anxieties of Fresno residents in this great time of uncertainty,” Esparza said.

Esparza said some of the fear and anxiety is caused by the added layers of monitoring.

Fresno County will operate 26 voting centers across the county. Thirteen centers are in the city of Fresno, including the main election headquarters downtown.

Some opened Oct. 25. All will be open by Saturday. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 4.

City Attorney Andrew Janz said because attorneys in his office are salaried employees, the monitor program would incur no extra costs to taxpayers.

Janz said the goal is to  “ensure that there is no voter intimidation, no voter interference, and to make sure that all votes are counted.”

There is no set timetable for when the city monitors will observe. They plan to attend all city voting locations, Janz said.

When asked if there has been interference in the past in Fresno elections, City Council President Mike Karbassi said there was “no way to find out” without monitors. A spokesperson for the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office could not recall any prosecutions.

Through Oct. 29, voters returned 110,261 ballots according to ballot transfer logs. That is a 21% return rate.

Karbassi Continues Criticism, Kus Responds

Earlier in the week, Karbassi held a City Hall news conference to criticize Fresno County’s handling of the election. He continued that tack on Thursday.

Karbassi is challenging Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus in the 2026 election.

Among the new criticism is the lack of voting centers in the rural communities of Mendota and Parlier.

“It must be just a coincidence though that those two cities happen to be run by Republican mayors,” Karbassi said. “These kinds of decisions that are being made raise questions about trust in the system and I personally want to quash that.”

Kus is registered with no party preference. Karbassi is a registered Democrat.

In a regular election, Kus said, the county operates 53 voting centers. He had only 75 days to prepare for the special election. Normally, the county has a year to secure locations and staff.

“Someone’s going to be unhappy that I didn’t choose their location. I have to accept that while also being very proud of my team and getting 27 locations in 75 days and staffing them and being ready to go,” Kus said.

Voting centers are located throughout the county, Kus said. While there is no center in Parlier, there is in nearby Selma and Sanger. Firebaugh is the closest center to Mendota.

Kus said he is not aware of the party of the Mendota and Parlier mayors — Victor Martinez and Alma Beltran, respectively.

Hurtado Files to Run for Senate

Esmeralda is likely to represent state Senate District 14.

The question is, will it be Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno, or Esmeralda Hurtado, D-Sanger?

Hurtado announced her intention on Facebook.

“I know what it means to work hard and still feel like you’re falling behind — that’s why I’m running for State Senate. This campaign isn’t about politics, it’s about people. About families who deserve fairness, opportunity, and a leader who will always put them first,” Hurtado wrote.

She flirted with the idea of running for the Senate seat in 2022 before terminating the campaign. She has an active campaign account for state Assembly District 31, but nothing registered for the Senate, according to the Secretary of State’s website.

Soria currently represents state Assembly District 27.

Hurtado has served as a Sanger City Councilmember since 2019, when she was appointed to succeed her sister Melissa Hurtado who was elected to the state Senate. Esmeralda Hurtado has since won reelection in 2020 and 2024. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, is running for her third senate term in 2026 for District 16. She has not drawn an opponent.

Soria reported $338,886 in cash on hand through June 30. Hurtado has not reported any fundraising totals.

Senate District 14 includes parts of Fresno, Madera and Merced counties, including most of the city of Fresno. Current Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced, is term-limited.