Hey, Fresno County: Your job is to participate in our system of representative government | Opinion

In addition to determining who the next president of the country will be, Fresno County voters will choose their representatives on city councils, school boards, Congress and state offices. They will also decide if school and college districts should get more than $2 billion in bonds requested for campus improvements.

Clovis residents will be asked if they will approve a 1% sales tax increase to help pay for fire and police protection. There are 10 state propositions — ranging from bumping the minimum wage to $18 an hour to reclassifying some misdemeanor theft and drug crimes as felonies.

Fresno Bee reporter Tim Sheehan has outlined some important local races and explained bond measures that will be on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Between now and Election Day, our colleagues at The Bee will provide information on the candidates and issues to help readers decide. The Bee Editorial team will interview candidates in selected races and publish those recommendations.

We are less than 70 days from election day, but only 40 days away from the time vote-by-mail ballots go out and ballot drop boxes open.

Opinion

Here are some important dates to keep in mind:

▪ Oct. 7: Vote-by-mail ballots are mailed. Ballots can be mailed, deposited at a drop-off location or dropped off at the county elections office.

▪ Oct. 7: Fresno County Elections Office, 2221 Kern St., opens for early voting, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

▪ Oct. 7: Ballot drop boxes open. The county plans to have 68 drop boxes.

▪ Oct. 21: Last day to register to vote.

▪ Oct. 26: 11-day vote centers open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10 locations throughout the county.

▪ Nov. 2: 4-day vote centers open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 43 Fresno County locations.

▪ Nov. 5: Election Day, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

▪ Nov. 12: Last day to receive vote-by-mail ballots postmarked no later than Nov. 5.

The county will post a list of vote centers and drop boxes on its website within the next 16 days (as of Aug. 28). A tool allowing voters to find a vote center or drop box will be on its website at least 30 days before Election Day.

Voter turnout has been dismal

There are more than 640,000 eligible voters in Fresno County, and a little more than 507,000 are registered to vote. Sadly, only 30.84% of registered voters bothered to vote in the March primary.

The Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James A. Kus is not in the habit of estimating voter turnout, but he expects a better turnout in November.

“We plan every election to have a 100% turnout and adjust our processes based upon need,” he told The Fresno Bee. “Historically, turnout in a General Election is usually much higher than during the associated primary election.”

Turnout could have made a difference in Orange Cove, where an extension of a public safety tax failed by two votes after the city spent $5,000 for a recount. The turnout was 16.66%. Two years ago, state Sen. Melissa Hurtado won her race by just 13 votes, making the 16th state Senate race among the closest in state history.

Not only are voters missing from the election process, but so are candidates. There are scores of races in Fresno County with only one candidate, the majority of them incumbents. In Firebaugh, the city clerk is an elected position, but the council has had to appoint a person to that post so many times in the past due to a lack of candidates that it will now ask voters to let the council appoint that position moving forward.

We encourage voters to brush up on the issues and candidates. Much of that information is included in the voter guide.

Your job is to participate in our system of representative government. And then the bombardment of emails and text messages asking you for political donations will cease.