12% of Fresno County voters had turned in their ballots through Monday, Oct, 21, but that percentage lags in comparison to 2020. (Shutterstock)
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Fresno County voters are turning in their ballots early but at a slower rate than four years ago.
Through Monday, the Fresno County elections office said voters returned 59,127 ballots through mail and drop boxes. That is nearly 12% of the registered 511,173 voters.
Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus said another 400 voters cast ballots at the downtown election office.
Approximately two-thirds of voters cast ballots by mail, with nearly one-third through 67 drop boxes in the county.
At this point in the 2020 presidential election, county voters had returned 91,352 ballots — 18% of registered voters. The county implemented drop boxes as part of the Voters Choice Act four years ago.
Election Clerk Expects More Early Voting
Three-quarters of Fresno County voters utilized mail-in or drop-box ballots during the 2020 presidential election in the pandemic era, Kus said.
“While it is too early to determine which pattern we are following this year, if voters follow recent trends, we can expect to receive (most) of our vote-by-mail (ballots) in the last week before Election Day and/or on Election Day,” Kus said.
Kus said the first election results revealed on Nov. 5 will be from mail-in and drop-box-delivered ballots. He estimates the first result will be 40% of the final tally.
Related Story: Voting in Fresno County: How Secure Is Your Ballot? How Accurate Is the Final ...