FRESNO, CA – Today the Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the Voter’s Choice Act, in time for the 2020 elections. Under this modern election model, every registered voter in the county will automatically receive their ballot by mail and have options for how to return their ballot; by mail, to any ballot drop box in the county, or at any vote center in the county convenient to them. Fresno becomes the ninth county to implement the Voter’s Choice Act.
“The tremendous success of the Voter’s Choice Act in 2018 has inspired even more counties to adopt this landmark reform,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “In 2020, voters in Fresno will now enjoy more options for when, where, and how they cast their ballots, thanks to the Voter’s Choice Act. I thank the leadership in Fresno county for embracing these pro-voter reforms. Modernizing elections to provide voters more flexibility works. In 2018, the five counties that implemented the Voter’s Choice Act all exceeded the record statewide turnout.”
“I look forward to working with county officials, civic organizations, and residents in Fresno and all Voter’s Choice Act counties to implement these reforms and inform voters about their new options. When elections officials, civic organizations, and voters work together, democracy wins.”
The nine counties implementing the Voter’s Choice Act for 2020 are: Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sacramento, and San Mateo. These counties are home to 44.3% of the state’s voters.
The Voters Choice Act (SB 450), sponsored by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, is a landmark election reform measure signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in 2016. Five California counties—Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento, and San Mateo—implemented this new model of conducting elections for the first time in 2018. All five counties exceeded the November 2018 statewide turnout rate of 64.5%.