"Mad Rush" not expected at the polls

FRESNO, California

At Fresno County's election warehouse in southeast Fresno ... the absentee ballots have been slowly streaming in ... but Elections Supervisor Victor Salazar says he doesn't expect a pileup of mail-in ballots before the polls close. He predicts only 30 to 32 percent of voters will cast a ballot.

Salazar said, "Overall there's a declining interest in this election but that's typical of the June primary gubernatorial elections."

More than 162-thousand Fresno County voters requested absentee ballots this year ... as of a week ago ... just over 55-thousand had been mailed back ... or 33 percent. A good percentage of voters like Rudy Guadiana end up hand delivering their absentee ballots.

Rudy Guadiana said, "I procrastinate until the very end ... it gives me a little more time to look at some of the information they provide if I'm not aware of what's going on."

The Van Gerpen family cast their ballots at Fresno's elections office ... like they always do ... every election.

Nora Van Gerpen said, "I wish there were a way to encourage other people to exercise the rights we have here that's really, really important."

Because of budget cuts ... Fresno County has 64 fewer polling places and 600 fewer workers this year ... but the elections department wants to make the process as easy as possible. Even if you have an absentee ballot at home sitting on your desk that you forgot to mail in ... you can turn it in at any polling place anywhere in the county. Or you can simply get a new ballot and vote ... just make sure that you destroy the old ballot at home.

The downtown elections office opens at six in the morning ... most other polling places will welcome voters at seven.