Fresno County voters who want their ballots included in the first election results Tuesday night have until 5 p.m. Saturday to return them to an official ballot drop box or vote center, according to the county’s top elections official.

Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James Kus told GV Wire that ballots properly cast and returned by the Halloween cutoff will be processed and tabulated for the first results released at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Kus clarified that ballots only need to be deposited in an official drop box or returned to a vote center by 5 p.m. Saturday.

The cutoff is not the final deadline to vote. Ballots returned after Saturday will still be counted if they meet election requirements, but they may not appear in the initial results released when polls close Tuesday.

“People complain about slow results in California, but voters have the power to speed them up,” Kus previously told GV Wire. “If they double down on early voting, we can get 90% of them counted on election day and get to the rest of the ballots faster.”

California allows election officials to begin processing vote-by-mail ballots before Election Day, including verifying signatures and preparing ballots for tabulation. However, results cannot be released before polls close.

Fresno County Opens 43 Additional Vote Centers Saturday

The county is expanding voting access on Halloween, with 43 additional vote centers opening Saturday, bringing the countywide total to 54.

Eleven vote centers have been operating since Oct. 24.

The county also has 69 official ballot drop boxes available throughout Fresno, Clovis, Sanger, Selma, Reedley, and other communities.

Vote centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Monday. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, all centers will operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Fresno County residents can cast their ballots at any county vote center, regardless of their neighborhood or assigned voting location.

As of Friday, Fresno County had received more than 108,000 ballots, according to county figures.

Separate ballot-tracking data showed 99,120 ballots returned through Thursday, compared with 84,120 at the same point in the November 2022 election.

Voters Can Still Return Ballots Through Election Day

Voters who miss Saturday’s 5 p.m. cutoff can still return their ballots to an official drop box or vote center until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by county election officials no later than Nov. 10 to be eligible for counting.

Ballots received closer to Election Day may require additional processing before they are reflected in subsequent results.

The first results released Tuesday night will be preliminary. Election officials will continue verifying and counting eligible ballots after Election Day before certifying the final results.

Voters can find the complete list of vote centers and ballot drop boxes on the Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters’ website.

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