Procrastinator’s guide to California primary. What you need to know before you vote

Tim Sheehan
·8 min read

So you waited until now to vote in California’s March 5 primary election. That’s OK, you aren’t alone. And the good news is, it’s not too late.

Here’s everything you need to know before you vote:

What am I voting on?

This primary election includes contests for both the Democratic and Republican nominees to be the next President of the United States. It will also determine who goes on to the November election to fill the seat left vacant by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died last fall.

Voters will also decide which congressional and legislative candidates they wish to see move on to the November election.

California voters are being asked to consider one ballot measure, Proposition 1, which does two things: It restructures the 2004 Mental Health Services Act to shift $140 million in behavioral health funding away from the counties and toward the state, and it authorizes a $6.4 billion bond to build new mental health and substance abuse treatment centers as well as more housing for the homeless.

For Merced-area voters, three of the five seats on the Merced County Board of Supervisors are on the ballot. There’s also a Merced County Superior Court judgeship to be decided. In the city, voters will determine the fate of a ballot measure to extend a public-safety sales tax.

MERCED COUNTY

  • Board of Supervisors District 2: Incumbent Josh Pedrozo, challenger Annissa Fragoso.

  • Board of Supervisors District 1: Incumbent Rodrigo Espinosa, challengers Sonia Fernanda Alshami, Jim Pacheco and Maria Soto.

  • Board of Supervisors District 4: Incumbent Lloyd Pareira, challengers Dennis Brazil and Jim Soria.

  • Superior Court Judge: Candidates are Regina Adams, Carlos Dammeier and Monika Saini-Donabed.

CITY OF MERCED

  • Measure C: Renewing a half-cent sales tax in the city of Merced to pay for public safety and essential city services.

Here’s what’s on the ballot elsewhere in the central San Joaquin Valley:

FRESNO COUNTY

  • Board of Supervisors District 2: Incumbent Steve Brandau, challengers Garry Bredefeld, Dion Bourdase, Paul Dictos and Bryce Herrera.

  • Board of Supervisors District 3: Incumbent Sal Quintero, challengers Miguel Arias, Luis Chavez, EJ Hinojosa.

  • Board of Supervisors District 5: Incumbent Nathan Magsig, challenger Jennifer Cruz. Measure A: Keeping elections for county sheriff and district attorney in non-presidential election years.

  • Measure B: Providing the county board of supervisors the authority to name or change names of geographic features and communities in unincorporated areas of Fresno County.

  • Measure E: Establishing a new .25% sales tax for facilities improvements and scholarships at California State University, Fresno. (Also: See The Bee’s Editorial Board recommendation.)

CITY OF FRESNO

  • Fresno Mayor: Incumbent Jerry Dyer, challengers James Barr and Samantha Dussell.

  • Fresno City Council District 2: Incumbent Mike Karbassi, challenger Matthew Gillian.

  • Fresno City Council District 4: Incumbent Tyler Maxwell, unopposed.

  • Fresno City Council District 6: Candidates are Roger Bonakdar, Molly Fagundes-Johnston, Nick Richardson and Raj Sodhi-Layne. (Also: See The Bee’s Editorial Board recommendation)

KINGS COUNTY: The only contested race is for the District 5 seat on the county Board of Supervisors, where five candidates — including the incumbent — are on the ballot. One other board seat, and six Superior Court judgeships, are uncontested.

MADERA COUNTY: The District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors is up for election.

TULARE COUNTY: Two seats on the county Board of Supervisors are being contested, and only one candidate is on the ballot for a third seat.

You can read all about many of the state and local races and elections in The Bee’s voter guide.

When should I vote?

You have until 8 p.m. March 5 to turn in your ballot at a voting center in Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kings and Tulare counties. If you mail in your ballot, it must be postmarked by Tuesday in order to be accepted. Mail-in ballots will be accepted until March 12.

You can track your ballot once it has been mailed in. Here’s how.

Who are the candidates?

In the presidential primaries, on the Democratic side the only serious candidate is the incumbent, President Joe Biden. Poll after poll shows Biden winning the California primary election, as well as taking the state in the general election in November.

Biden’s likely opponent in November is former President Donald Trump, whom polls show set to win the Republican presidential primary against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

A much closer race is that to fill Feinstein’s U.S. Senate seat, currently held by Sen. Laphonza Butler.

Butler is not running for reelection, meaning the seat is up for grabs, and the race for it has been a heated one.

Three Democratic members of Congress — Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank; Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine; and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland — are vying with each other and Republican retired baseball star Steve Garvey to be the next senator from California. Only two will go on to the November general election.

CITY OF FRESNO

FRESNO COUNTY

MADERA COUNTY

MERCED COUNTY

  • Board of Supevisors District 2: Incumbent Josh Pedrozo, challenger Annissa Fragoso.

  • Board of Supervisors District 1: Incumbent Rodrigo Espinosa, challengers Sonia Fernanda Alshami, Jim Pacheco and Maria Soto.

  • Board of Supervisors District 4: Incumbent Lloyd Pareira, challengers Dennis Brazil and Jim Soria.

  • Superior Court Judge: Candidates are Regina Adams, Carlos Dammeier and Monika Saini-Donabed.

TULARE COUNTY

  • Board of Supervisors District 1: Incumbent Larry Micari, challenger Joe Soria.

  • Board of Supervisors District 2: Incumbent Pete Vanderpoel, challenger Benny Corona.

  • Board of Superviosrs District 3: Incumbent Amy Shuklian, unopposed.

KINGS COUNTY

  • Board of Supervisors District 2: Incumbent Richard Valle, unopposed.

  • Board of Supevisors District 5: Incumbent Richard Fagundes, challengers Tyler Michael Pepe, Robert Thayer, Adam Medeiros and David G. Ayers.

U.S. CONGRESS

U.S. SENATE

  • United States Senate: Seven candidates are seeking to fill the balance of Feinstein’s current term that ends in January 2025; 27 candidates are on the ballot for the full six-year term that follows.

How do I check my voter registration?

All you have to do is visit this website.

While the voter registration deadline was Feb. 20, you can still conditionally register and vote in the primary election at your county elections office or polling place up to, and including, Election Day.

How can I vote?

If you mail your ballot through the U.S. Postal Service, it must be postmarked by Tuesday. You can also take your ballot to an in-person vote center or drop it off at a secure drop box. Drop boxes and vote centers will be open until 8 p.m. on Election Night, March 5 (except in Merced County, where drop boxes are available during regular business hours).

If you need assistance, such as provisional registration or requesting a replacement ballot, you’ll need to visit an in-person vote center.

FRESNO COUNTY: You can find a list of vote center location here, while a list of ballot drop-off locations is here. In Huron, the vote center location was changed to Huron City Hall on 12th Street west of Lassen Avenue. Additional information is available at votefresnocounty.com or by calling the Fresno County Elections Division at 559-600-8683. Interactive maps of drop-box and vote center sites in Fresno County is available here.

KINGS COUNTY: Vote center and drop-box locations can be found here. More information is available online at www.countyofkings.com/departments/administration/elections or by phone at 559-852-4401.

MADERA COUNTY: Vote center and drop box locations can be found here. More information is available online at votemadera.com or by phone at 559-675-7720.

MERCED COUNTY: Most drop boxes only accept ballots during regular business hours; vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Vote center and drop box locations can be found here. More information is available online at www.countyofmerced.com/3929/2024-Elections or by phone at 209-385-7541.

TULARE COUNTY: Vote center and drop box locations can be found here. More information is available online at tularecoelections.org/elections/ or by phone at 559-839-2100.

The Sacramento Bee contributed to this report.