What's at stake:
Fresno County voters will see a major change in how ballots look and function in June, as officials prepare for potential confusion and navigate broader uncertainty around national voting policies.
Fresno County voters will see a major change at the polls this June as election officials introduce a two-card ballot system for the first time.
The shift is driven largely by the length of the ballot, particularly a crowded gubernatorial race with 61 candidates. Combined with dozens more candidates running for statewide offices, the county can no longer fit all contests onto a single sheet.
Every registered voter’s ballot will be two cards, and the voting process is only complete if both are turned in. James Kus, the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, noted that this change will be potentially confusing for Fresno County residents who may mistakenly select more than one candidate in a race where only one choice is allowed.
“Fresno County has not had a two-card ballot to the best of my own knowledge, ever,” Kus said. “And it’s been my belief, and fairly well supported by the voters of Fresno County, that having a single card front and back, however full or busy it was, was convenient. So there’s going to be a lot of voter education we have to get out there and it can be a bit scary to see.”
Fresno County officials are preparing for possible voter confusion as the June election approaches, while also navigating broader uncertainty over federal voting rules, including proposals like the SAVE America Act and a recent executive order on mail-in ballots.
Why a two-card ballot system is needed this June
Fresno County has historically seen a longer ballot card — sometimes stretching up to 17 to 19 inches — which allowed voters to complete everything on one sheet. That format, Kus said, minimized the risk of losing part of the ballot and kept the process straightforward.
Fresno County has come close to needing two card ballots in recent elections, including the 2024 special general election for one of California’s seats in the U.S. Senate, as well as the November 2024 general election. In other parts of California and across the country, multi-card ballots are common.
The ballot’s length is now impacted by a new state law requiring larger, 10-point font for candidate names. Kus described that change as a “win for voters,” making ballots easier to read, even as it forces election officials to expand the format.
The two-card change is also expected to slow down in-person voting as voters will need to insert each card individually into tabulation machines. Kus warned that the process will take longer, as each ballot card must be printed and scanned separately. To mitigate delays, Kus urged voters to cast their ballots early, either by mail or at early voting sites.
Kus said growing numbers of candidates and ballot measures could make two-card ballots more common in the future, though it is still unclear whether they will be needed in November.
New executive order seeks to limit mail-in ballots in California
At the same time, local election officials are watching potential federal changes to voting rules.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday seeking to add new federal controls to mail-in voting, including in states like California. He repeated his long-standing, unproven claims that voting by mail leads to widespread fraud.
California officials quickly pushed back, calling mail ballots safe and secure, arguing the order is unconstitutional and an “illegal power grab” that interferes with the state’s authority to run its own elections.
The order directs the U.S. Postal Service to play a larger role in mail voting by creating ballot envelopes with unique barcodes to track who receives and returns ballots. States would be required to follow this system if they use the postal service and submit lists of eligible voters in advance. The administration says the changes would help prevent fraud by ensuring only eligible voters cast ballots.
The order also instructs federal agencies to compile lists of U.S. citizens eligible to vote using government databases, including Social Security and immigration records. Under the proposal, ballots that do not match those lists could be blocked from being delivered through the mail system.
Kus said it is too early to know what impact the order could have, noting that executive orders are not laws and generally carry less weight than legislation passed through a more extensive process. He expects the order to face legal challenges, particularly because the Constitution gives states primary authority over elections.
Kus said any changes are unlikely to happen quickly, pointing to how long it has taken the federal government to implement programs like REAL ID.
“It’s just premature for us to really be able to say anything,” Kus said. “We just need to see what happens with the courts and how that’s going to move forward.”
