How to cast your votes in Fresno County as elections near

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Valley voters are getting out and exercising their rights.

Urvano Martinez chose to cast his ballot at the Downtown Fresno County Election Office.

"This is a lot more accessible and I took advantage of it," he said.

Like Martinez, all registered voters in Fresno County can use the 11 official vote centers that are already open.

"It's a great opportunity -- if you want to vote in person, go vote right now and really receive some personal treatment at the vote centers and get all the help you could want," says Fresno County Clerk James Kus.

You can also mail in the ballot that was sent to you.

So far, about 48,000 of Fresno County's 500,000 registered voters have returned their vote by mail ballots. That's less than ten percent with less than one week to go.

In the past four gubernatorial elections, Fresno County has consistently seen a 30 percent turnout.

Kus anticipates the turnout will continue to follow historical trends.

"We are on our way there, we are not there yet," he said. "It's still a lot of time for voters to get out there and let their voices be heard."

This will be the first election since congressional district boundaries have been redrawn, so many voters can anticipate being in new districts.

Races for state, county and local offices are also part of the 2022 ballot, including some city council positions, board of supervisors, and the Fresno County sheriffs race.

For those who haven't voted yet, Kus recommends taking time to do a little research, especially with all of the new candidates.

And don't forget to sign your vote by mail envelope.

"We will not accept your vote by mail ballot without you having signed your envelope and us being able to compare your signature versus your signature in the registration record," he said.

If there is a signature mismatch or a missing signature, then voters will receive a letter and have the opportunity to correct their signature.

Kus says local races could be fairly close, so every vote truly counts.

"This is the opportunity now to get involved and make your local choices for representation," he said.

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