Residents in this Fresno County city won’t have a vote center in Prop. 50 election
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mendota lost its in-person vote center for Nov. 4 special election, raising turnout concerns.
- Officials cite staff shortages and a compressed 75-day schedule limiting vote centers.
- County provided ballot drop boxes and fewer centers; mayor warns of reduced participation.
The city of Mendota won’t have a vote center during Tuesday’s special election to decide Prop. 50, meaning residents will have to drive to other surrounding cities to cast a ballot in person.
Voters will decide Tuesday whether to approve Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to temporarily redraw the state’s map of congressional districts to favor Democrats in districts currently held by Republicans. But, unlike past elections, the city of Mendota will not have any vote centers where residents can cast their ballot.
County officials said they didn’t have enough time to muster the staffing required to operate the typical number of vote centers seen in regular statewide elections.
Mendota Mayor Victor Martinez said he was irate after county officials told him Thursday that Mendota would not have a vote center, something he hasn’t seen in at least the past decade.
“I think it’s a form of voter suppression and it’s a big disservice to our people, our communities,” said Victor Martinez, mayor of Mendota. “As it is, it’s difficult to get our people to go out to vote, but now you’re adding another layer of complexity. Another layer that they have to go through to go to vote.”
Martinez said many residents in Mendota don’t have cars to travel to nearby vote centers, which is why it was crucial to have one in the city. The nearest vote centers for the special election are located in Firebaugh, about a 15-minute drive from Mendota, and San Joaquin, a 20-minute commute.
“It’s embarrassing that this is happening in our communities,” Martinez said.
In Mendota’s most recent election for city council in December 2024, there were 3,246 registered voters and 1,583 ballots cast, yielding a turnout of about 49%.
Fresno County will open 26 vote centers for Tuesday’s special election, compared with the 53 locations it usually operates for a regular statewide election.
Fresno County Clerk-Registrar of Voters James Kus said that “the schedule of the Special election would not allow anything close to the level of service during a regularly scheduled election.”
The short 75-day notice, instead of the usual 270-plus days, limited both available locations and election workers, Kus said.
Staffing allowed for the operation of only 26 centers, with nine of them opening the legally required 10 days early, according to Kus. For areas without a vote center, the county focused on providing ballot drop boxes, though “getting permission to use a Ballot Drop was severely hampered by the time crunch,” Kus said.
Kus emphasized that the clerk’s office is “providing more locations for more hours than was required by law.” He also noted that a Mendota location was already reserved for the 2026 elections, and the city has offered to help with worker recruitment to improve future voting access.
Mendota has traditionally had its own voting center at its public library, though Martinez has told residents they will have to drive to neighboring cities to vote in person.
“I’ve gotten used to voting in the local library, but now that won’t be available, so it doesn’t really make me feel comfortable,” said Mendota resident Mariana Hernandez. “I’ll still be voting, but now it will be in Firebaugh. I’ll have to spend extra money on gas. It would’ve been much more convenient to vote in Mendota since it’s so much closer.”
Martinez said the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters told him the reason was a shortage of staff available to work at vote centers in places like Mendota. He criticized county officials for communicating the development days before the election, and said the city could have helped.
“This is not providing an equal opportunity for our residents to exercise their right to vote,” Martinez said. “It’s just not right. The other thing that is unacceptable is that they didn’t let us know until recently.”
Mendota City Councilmember Joseph R. Riofrio said he told many inquiring residents that the polling place at the local library would be open Tuesday, unaware that it will, in fact, be closed.
He said the lack of a polling place in the city is a disservice to Mendota voters.
“Mendota is home to farmworkers and Firebaugh is associated with the farmers. I think Firebaugh is more conservative than Mendota. They have more clout,” Riofrio said. “Our community is primarily Hispanic, and we have a lot of new citizens who want to vote.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Residents in this Fresno County city won’t have a vote center in Prop. 50 election."
