What happened while you were sleeping: Final Fresno, Valley election night results

It’s all over now but the counting.

After weeks of nonstop political commercials, direct-mail pieces, emails and text messages from candidates and campaigns, polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday on the 2022 midterm general election.

By late Tuesday night, more than 126,000 ballots from throughout Fresno County had been processed and counted, but tens of thousands more are likely in the mail and yet to be counted as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday and are received by elections officials by Nov. 15.

Election Day in Fresno County was relatively smooth for most of the day, said James Kus, Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters. That changed shortly before 5 p.m. when a rainstorm knocked out electricity at two voting centers in northeast Fresno and Clovis with only a few hours before polls were to close. The power outage forced election officials to direct voters to other voting locations before electricity was restored at both sites.

“It’s been a very quiet day – busy but quiet,” Kus told The Fresno Bee. “We’ve had nothing irregular or even interesting, which is what you want in an election. I love a boring Election Day.”

Almost a half-million vote-by-mail ballots were sent out to voters in Fresno County in October. More than 109,000 had been returned to the Elections Division before Tuesday, either through the U.S. Post Office or official drop boxes scattered across the county. The returns from Tuesday night also include ballots cast in person on Tuesday.

Kus, said in-person voter turnout amounted to about 26% when combined with early vote-by-mail ballots that were turned in before Tuesday.

“I can’t estimate yet how many more ballots we’ll have to count,” Kus told The Fresno Bee late Tuesday night, “but 40% voter turnout appears to be realistic” by the time all ballots have been received through the mail and counted. The next Fresno County update is planned for Thursday before 5 p.m.

Even with thousands of votes already counted, there are some local races that hang in the balance to await tabulating the late-arriving mail-in ballots.

One of the narrowest margins was for Seat 4 on the Fresno Unified School District board of trustees, representing the McLane High School area in central Fresno. Incumbent Veva Islas held a razor-thin lead of only 25 votes over challenger Karen Steed, a retired teacher. With 3,643 votes tabulated through Tuesday night, Islas has 1,527 votes or 41.9%, while Steed received 1,502 votes or 41.2%. A third candidate, Michelle Denise Scire, has 588 votes or 16.1%.

Several major ballot measures facing voters in Fresno County on Tuesday appeared to be heading for defeat, including the renewal of a half-cent sales tax for roads and transportation, a 0.2% tax to boost Fresno State programs, and a 0.125% tax in the city of Fresno for veterans programs and facilities.

Here are key results in Fresno County:

Fresno County Measure C

With almost 123,000 votes cast countywide, the proposal to extend Fresno County’s half-cent sales tax to help pay for road and transportation improvements appears destined to fall. Measure C received 71,448 yes votes, or 58.2%, but that’s far short of the two-thirds majority required to pass. No votes amounted to 51,331, or 41.8%.

Fresno County Measure E

The 0.2% countywide sales tax proposed to support improvements to academic programs as well as facilities at Fresno State requires a simple majority of 50% plus one vote to pass. But despite a massive campaign underwritten by Fresno contractor and developer Richard Spencer, Measure E was heading toward defeat. Almost 66,000 voters, or 53.8%, said no to the tax, compared to 56,587 yes votes or 46.2%.

Fresno City Measure M

Measure M, a 0.125% sales tax proposed by the Fresno City Council to provide money for veterans programs and facilities, was falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass. Of almost 58,000 votes cast by voters within the city, Measure M had received 34,183 yes votes, or 59.3%. There were 23,507 voters who said no to the tax, or 40.7%.

Clovis City Measure B

Measure B before voters in the city of Clovis proposed to raise the bed tax on hotels and lodging from the current rate of 10% to 12%. With almost 21,500 votes cast, it appears headed for an easy victory with more than 15,000 yes votes, or 69.9%, to 6,469 no votes or 30.1%. The measure needs a simple majority of 50% plus one vote to pass.

Fresno Unified School District

In addition to Seat 4 on the Fresno Unified School District board of trustees, three other board seats were up for election Tuesday.

With more than 11,000 votes counted, former U.S. Marine Corps officer Terry Slatic was well behind challenger Susan Wittrup in his re-election bid for Fresno Unified trustee seat 7 representing the Bullard High School area in northwest Fresno. Wittrup, a retired school psychologist, was leading the four-candidate field with 6,477 votes or 57.3%. Slatic was in second with 2,985 votes or 26.4%. Trailing in third place was James Richard Barr at 1,363 otes or 12.1%, and Michael W. Haynes received 455 votes or 4%.

Keshia Thomas, the incumbent representing the Edison High area in southwest Fresno, held a sizable lead over challenger Wayne Horton with 2,790 votes counted so far. Thomas received 2,060 votes or 73,8%, while Horton pulled in 706 votes or 25,3%.

In the district’s Sunnyside High area of southeast Fresno, incumbent Valerie Davis has a handy lead with 4,242 votes counted. Davis had 2,011 votes or 47.4%. The rest of the four-candidate field included Karl C. Diaz, 962 votes or 22.7%; Tammy McMahon-Gorhans, 867 votes or 20.4%; and Michael B. Osmer, 387 votes or 9.1%.

Clovis City Council

The departure of two incumbents on the Clovis City Council means there will be at least two newcomers after the results of Tuesday’s election are finalized. The race attracted a field of 10 candidates, including incumbent Drew Bessinger. Voters could select up to three candidates on their ballots.

With almost 52,000 votes tallied through Tuesday night, Bessinger is the leading vote-getter with 11,230 votes or 21.7% and appears likely headed to another four-year term. Also on the verge of winning seats on the council are Diane Pearce, 10,920 votes or 21.1% and Matt Basgall at 10,196 votes or 19.7%.

No other candidate in the field has more than 8% of the votes.

Clovis Unified School District

Seats 1 and 6 were both up for election on the Clovis Unified School District Board of Trustees.

Clint Olivier, a former Fresno City Council member, and communications consultant Samantha Bauer were the leading vote-getters vying for Seat 1 on the Clovis Unified board. Of more than 38,000 votes tallied so far, Olivier leads with 14,530 votes or 38.2% to Bauer’s 12,233 votes or 32.1%. A third candidate, Chuck Der Manouel, has 9,324 votes, or 24.5%. Joanne Burton trailed the field with 1,776 votes or 4.7%.

Deena Combs-Flores was leading the race for Seat 6, with 21,420 votes, or 59.6% of almost 36,000 votes cast. The other candidate, Bill Whitmore, has 14,323 votes, or 39.8%.