Documented by Rachel Youdelman. See more from the Fresnoland Documenters.
What happened: At their Tuesday meeting, the Fresno County Supervisors learned that some voters will receive two ballots this election season due to the special congressional District 20 vacancy election caused by Kevin McCarthy’s recent resignation, as well as the upcoming presidential primary election.
County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus said that both elections will be scheduled close together in March, but the county will not be able to consolidate them into one ballot because of the likelihood of delays in preparation. He said it will cost the county $250,000.
While the presidential primary election is March 5, Kus said that the special vacancy election will be held on March 19 and, if needed, a special general election on May 21.
Nomination documents for candidates for the special primary election will be available Jan. 19-25. Military and overseas ballots will be distributed by Feb. 3; vote-by-mail ballots will be distributed on Feb. 19; vote centers will be open for in-person voting on March 9, four days after the close of presidential-primary vote centers on March 5.
“We are well situated to process and conduct the special vacancy elections with minimal impact to the presidential primary,” Kus said. “We recognize that having two elections so close together will inevitably cause confusion for some voters.”
About 125,000 Fresno County voters will be affected by the special election to fill the congressional vacancy in District 20, said Kus, and they will be notified by mail early next month. The ballots will be significantly different from the presidential primary ballots, at half the size and of a unique color, with special envelopes for delivery and return of the ballots.
Changing of the guard: As is customary for the first meeting of the year, the supervisors also designated their officers for 2024: District 5 Supervisor Nathan Magsig is the new chair and District 4 Supervisor Buddy Mendes will fill the role of vice-chair.
Magsig thanked outgoing Chairman Sal Quintero and presented him with a plaque, a gavel and a framed historical photo of theKearney Mansion.
Workers ask for living wage: ElevenIn-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers, members of the localSEIU2015 union, spoke during the public comment period and asked the board for higher salaries, as they have done repeatedly for many months.
The current hourly salary for an IHSS worker is $16.60, and they are asking for $20, which as many pointed out, is the hourly salary for fast-food workers. Sonja Krantz said, “We are not making hamburgers,” adding that it was critical that they get a living wage.
Up next: The Fresno County Supervisors will meet again Jan. 23.
This article first appeared on Fresnoland and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.