Copyright KABC-TV
We'll be watching for several stories to possibly develop as the ballots are counted tonight throughout Central California in the Prop 50 Special Election. Congressional District 22: The South Valley district, represented by Republican David Valadao, is one of the seats that could flip if Prop 50 is approved. The proposed new district 22 would stretch into the city of Fresno and Fresno County, picking up more Democratic registration. Democrats have wanted this seat for a long time, pouring money into campaigns to defeat Valadao, but the combination of GOP and Independent voters has earned Valadao re-election victories. The City of Clovis: The city of Clovis is currently represented by one Congressional district, District 20, the seat held by Republican Vince Fong and previously by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. If Prop 50 is approved, Clovis will be split into three Congressional Districts: District 20 (Fong), District 5 (McClintock) and District 21 (Costa). The Clovis City Council voted to formally oppose the change. From 80-year-olds who have never missed an election to newly turned 18-year-olds casting their first ballots, Sonoma County voters in the Bay Area are turning out for Tuesday's special election. At the county Registrar of Voters office in Santa Rosa, residents said they understand what's at stake, particularly if Proposition 50 passes. The measure could shift parts of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County into District One, a historically Republican area that stretches north to include Red Bluff and Chico. "Every door I knocked on, people were really motivated to vote," said Chris Snyder, political director for Operating Engineers Local 3. "They understood what it was and why it was important to rebalance power." For some, this election marks an important milestone. Peter Klein and Tiyana Andrews both turned 18 this past summer. Andrews, a political science major, said she hopes her peers realize how much their votes matter. "I think that's a lot of the problem, people don't think their vote is important," Andrews said. "It might make people want to come out and vote more." One voter, Cannon Meiers, turned 18 on Election Day, giving new meaning to his birthday. "Nervous," he said when asked how it felt to cast his first ballot, while holding birthday balloons. His mother, Amy Meiers, said the family prepared together. "It is a lot of power," she said. "We've looked at both sides of everything. We went over how to research. It's part of being a voter. I'm just so proud of him." County officials report 55% of ballots already cast by mail or dropped off in advance, noting a very engaged community and high turnout. "You see the action all around here," said Evelyn Mendez, the new Sonoma County Registrar. "We'll probably be over 65%, which is good for a special election." Mendez hopes in future elections, the county will hit record numbers with 16 and 17-year-old as pre-registered voters. "I want to be a champion for those young people," said Mendez. "Whether you're in office or if you're a student at the school, your vote matters." For longtime voters like Dmitri Rusov-Morningstar, 80, participation itself is a point of pride. "It makes me feel worthwhile," he said. "Like I've been worthwhile all these years." Stella Anne De Vito, 83, agreed, reflecting on seeing the younger voters. "It's great to see young people getting involved," said De Vito. "I'm hoping to make another 100 years." No matter the outcome, many Sonoma County residents say they're grateful for the chance to make their voices heard. "We have such a privilege to be able to vote," said Isabel Holmes, 22. "Regardless of how people stand." Although California voters still have several more hours to cast their ballot, counting is already underway across the state. At the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, things were in full swing as workers processed mail-in ballots. Employees wearing a yellow vest are the only people that are allowed to handle any of the ballots that have been returned so far. "I think we've received, to date, 295,000 mail ballots returned, and those have already gone through this process, have been scanned. We're hoping to see at least that much, if not a little bit more, tonight," said Joani Finwall, the San Bernardino Registrar of Voters. Every ballot is scanned in a high-speed scanner, which detects voter signatures that are written on the ballot. "Some of the signatures, the ones that are easy matches, go and ahead and get matched by this machine," said Joani Finwall, the San Bernardino Registrar of Voters. "And the others that... need the human eye, we have done manually." Voting locations statewide close at 8 p.m., and officials expect the first batch of results to come in shortly after that.
