With Election Day one week away, Fresno County has received fewer than 79,000 ballots, and the county’s top elections official says returns are beginning to fall behind the pace of previous gubernatorial elections.

Just under 79,000 ballot envelopes had been returned through Monday afternoon, representing approximately 14.9% of voters, Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James Kus told GV Wire.

Kus said ballot returns are increasing each day, but voters appear to be waiting longer to cast their ballots this election.

“That rate of return is beginning to fall behind prior Gubernatorial General election turnouts,” Kus said.

The trend does not necessarily mean Fresno County will finish the election with lower turnout. Instead, Kus said voting may simply be occurring later, potentially creating a large Election Day wave that could slow the reporting of final results.

“We are seeing solid and increasing return rates per day, so voting might be being delayed somewhat this election,” Kus said, adding that the length of the ballot could be one possible factor.

Kus told GV Wire that ballots that have been properly cast and received by Saturday, Oct. 31, will be processed and tabulated for the first results report on Election Day.

Fresno County Turnout Has Varied Sharply

Fresno County has 529,007 registered voters, according to county election statistics.

Four years ago, 221,419 of the county’s 499,979 registered voters participated in the November 2022 general election, producing a final turnout of 44.29%, according to official county results.

Turnout was considerably higher during the previous gubernatorial election in 2018, when 256,972 of 455,662 registered voters cast ballots, or 56.40%.

The county now has roughly 29,000 more registered voters than it did during the 2022 general election and over 73,000 more than in 2018.

Vote-by-mail ballots have also become central to how Fresno County conducts elections.

In the 2022 general election, 196,515 vote-by-mail ballots were ultimately returned in Fresno County, according to California Secretary of State data. Of those, 193,076 were accepted.

That compares with fewer than 79,000 ballots returned so far this year.

Late Ballots Could Mean Later Results

Kus said a large wave of ballots arriving around Election Day could exceed the county’s immediate processing capacity.

If that happens, voters may have to wait longer for final results in close races.

The possibility is particularly important because California elections do not end with the ballots counted on election night. Ballots can continue to be processed during the official canvas, and results released on election night are considered semifinal rather than final.

In 2022, for example, Fresno County’s final election results were posted Dec. 8, one month after Election Day.

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