What’s at stake?
The result of Prop. 50 will determine whether California will increase the number of congressional districts that give Democrats and advantage, until 2030. It’s a direct response to other gerrymandering efforts meant to increase Republican representation from Texas, among other states.
Tuesday is the last day for California voters to turn in their ballots for the special election on Proposition 50. If you haven’t voted yet, Fresnoland has you covered on all your last-minute voting questions.
Not clear on what Prop. 50 is all about? In short, it’s an attempt to gerrymander California following Texas state officials gerrymandering their congressional districts. But unlike the Lone Star State, officials in California are putting the question to voters instead of just unilaterally changing California’s congressional districts themselves.
Fresnoland’s Prop. 50 voter guide has all the info you need, including how it would impact the San Joaquin Valley. You can also listen to a discussion about Prop. 50 on our podcast here.
Can I still vote if I haven’t registered yet?
California has a state law that makes it possible to register and vote at a voting center in the days leading up to an election.
If you haven’t registered to vote yet, it’s recommended to show up to any of the 26 voting centers in Fresno County to register and vote in-person. This is the only way to vote if you haven’t registered yet.
(Not sure if you’re registered to vote? You can check your status here.)
Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus has a list of resources on his department’s website.
“Same day registration is available at any Fresno County in-person voting location,” Kus told Fresnoland. “So that’s our 26 vote centers plus our downtown office. The same rules apply as any currently registered voter: You need to be there in line by 8pm tomorrow, and we’ll get you processed through.”
I’m registered to vote and filled out my ballot. Can I turn it in early?
Yes! Go to any ballot dropbox or voting center in Fresno County to turn in your ballot.
You can find your closest ballot dropbox or polling center at the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters website.
Kus has previously told Fresnoland that this close to election day, they prefer voters to drop off mail-in ballots directly at a vote center, ballot dropbox, or inside the post office, instead of in a blue box outside the post office.
In order to be counted under state election law, vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before the date of a given election and received by the county elections office no later than seven days after the election.
“Take it inside and get it postmarked,” he told Fresnoland in March. “It hurts us when we have to reject the (vote-by-mail) ballot because someone put it into the blue box outside and it gets … postmarked the day after Election Day.”
Don’t forget to sign and date your ballot! And once you’ve voted, you can track your ballot here to make sure it’s counted.
What if I lost the ballot mailed to me?
You can still vote, but you have only one option: in-person voting!
Show up to a Fresno County voting center to get a provisional ballot and fill it out in-person.
What’s the deal with those election monitors?
In case you got slightly worried about federal election monitors coming down to Fresno County: Fresnoland broke the news last week that the U.S. Department of Justice is only sending a couple staff members to observe Fresno County polling sites, according to Kus.
Those election monitors are likely unpaid, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Kus also told Fresnoland that federal election monitors do not have more access to polling sites than the average member of the public who also wants to come out and observe the electoral process.
Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office has also sent staff to observe polling places in Fresno, and so has the Fresno City Attorney.
Related
