Election Day is a little more than two weeks away, but thousands of Merced County residents have already cast their ballots.

Victor A. Patton

The Merced FOCUS

Melvin Levey, Merced County’s registrar of voters, told The Merced FOCUS that roughly 7,600 ballots had been counted as of Thursday evening, out of about 132,000 registered voters in the county.

Levey said that’s far more than what officials were seeing prior to the March primary election, and activity has been picking up daily. His office has been adding extra staff to handle the high volume of incoming ballots.

Ballots were mailed to registered voters in Merced County on Oct. 7.

Monday, Oct. 21 is the last day to register to vote. Any resident who wishes to cast a ballot after Oct. 21 can do so up to Election Day, but they will have to use a conditional ballot.

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During the last presidential election, which was Nov. 2020, Merced County saw 79% of registered voters participate, the county’s highest voter turnout in recent memory. Levey said he wouldn’t be surprised if turnout this year is somewhere near that.

Voters can drop off their ballots during regular business hours at several locations in Merced County through Election Day on Nov. 5. Ballots can also be requested or filled out at the Registrar of Voters Main Office at 2222 M Street in Merced.

Voting centers will begin opening starting on Oct. 26 at multiple locations (hours and times vary). Those centers are able to handle conditional ballots and assist with language needs.

Results from the elections will be posted on the Registrar of Voters website starting at 8 p.m. Nov. 5.

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About the Author

Victor Patton is editor-in-chief of The Merced FOCUS.