Voters return the polls to fill Kevin McCarthy's seat in the US House of Representatives

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Voters returned to the polls Tuesday to elect who will serve the remainder of Kevin McCarthy's term in the US House of Representatives.

It's not yet clear who will emerge from a crowded field of contenders to take on Fong in the May 21 special election in the 20th District.

Voters returned to the polls Tuesday to elect who will serve the remainder of McCarthy's term.

That term expires in January 2025.

If a candidate gets more than half of the vote in Tuesday's special election, they could be sent to Congress within weeks, but if nobody secures a majority, voters will be asked to pick from the top two in another election in May.

"If we have a majority winner today, or today's election, then that candidate could actually be seated by the end of this month," said James Kus, Fresno County Registrar of Voters. "So, that would be a nine-month period that they would be filling the seat."

Just two weeks ago, voters in Congressional District 20 saw many of the same names on their ballots.

Then, they were voting for a candidate to serve a full two-year term starting in January 2025.

In that race, voters selected Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and Assemblyman Vince Fong, both Republicans, to face off in November's General Election.

People casting their ballots in person in Clovis Tuesday morning said that despite knowing the outcome of that election before casting this ballot, it didn't change who they voted for.

"No, I'm hoping. I'm just hoping for a good outcome, for good people to do the right thing for our state and our country," said Monica Strambi, a Clovis local.

The first round of results, expected not long after voting ends at 8 pm, will include all the vote-by-mail ballots already received.

At that time, we'll know if the election results mirror March 5th.

As for updates beyond 8 pm, Kus said there could be fewer than we see on a normal election night.

"The majority of our 32,000 will be included in that first update. Then, all of the in-person voting for the last 29 days and today will be included in our updates, which we might only have one of today because we only have five voting locations," said Kus.

Whoever is elected will represent about 800,000 people in parts of Kern, Fresno, Tulare, and Kings counties.

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