Your November 2026 Ballot: What Fresno County Voters Will Decide This Fall

The final list is here. Fresno County voters will face a crowded November ballot with dozens of races — from city council seats to Congress — plus at least one local tax measure.

The voter registration deadline is Oct. 19. If you’re not registered or need to check your status, do it now.

The Breakdown

Local Ballot Measures

Two measures are on the ballot so far — a replacement for Fresno County’s Measure C called “Better Roads, Safe Streets” (though as of Aug. 10, county supervisors have promised a legal challenge to the state law that was supposed to guarantee it a spot), and the Fresno Public Safety, Infrastructure Restoration, and City General Services Tax Ordinance.

Fresno City Council

Three districts are wide open with no incumbents running. District 1’s Brian Pacheco is running for State Assembly. District 3’s Miguel Arias is running for Fresno Unified. District 7’s Nelson Esparza is running for Board of Equalization.

Congress and State Offices

Two congressional seats are on the ballot — the 13th and 21st districts.

Voters will decide runoffs for Insurance Commissioner (a Democrat-vs-Democrat race with incumbent Ricardo Lara) and State Superintendent of Public Instruction (with incumbent Tony Thurmond). State Board of Equalization District 1 has incumbent Ted Gaines on the ballot.

State Legislature

Senate District 12 is open because incumbent Shannon Grove is running for Board of Equalization. Assembly District 27 is open because incumbent Esmeralda Soria is running for state Senate. Assembly District 31 is open because incumbent Joaquin Arambula is running for Fresno City Council.

Courts and School Boards

Two Fresno County Superior Court seats are contested, and both sitting judges are off the ballot.

Fresno Unified has four trustee areas on the ballot (1, 2, 4, and 7), and none of the incumbents or appointees from those seats are running. State Center Community College District has one trustee area on the ballot (Area 5), where incumbent Rob Fuentes is running for Fresno City Council instead.

Central Unified and Sanger Unified each have open seats with no incumbents running. Two smaller districts — Riverdale Joint Unified and Caruthers Unified — have seats but no candidates filed.

Smaller-City Races

The material lists races in Coalinga, Firebaugh, Fowler, Huron, Kerman, Kingsburg, Mendota, Orange Cove, Parlier, Reedley, San Joaquin, Sanger, and Selma — most with open seats where incumbents chose not to run.

What This Means for You

This is the ballot you’ll actually vote on in roughly two months. The sheer number of open seats — incumbents stepping aside to run for other offices or choosing not to run at all — means this election will reshape who governs Fresno at every level.

When three city council incumbents all leave at once to chase higher office, that’s not routine turnover — that’s a wholesale change in who makes decisions about your streets, your taxes, and your neighborhoods.

What You Can Do

Register to vote by Oct. 19 if you aren’t already. Check your registration status or sign up at the county election clerk’s website. For detailed candidate information on local races, go to the county clerk’s site. For state races, check the California Secretary of State’s website.

This guide is a starting point, not the finish line. Look up the candidates. Find out what they actually stand for.

What to Watch

The legal fight over the Measure C replacement — “Better Roads, Safe Streets” — is real. County supervisors have promised to challenge the state law that was supposed to guarantee it a ballot spot, and as of mid-August, it still hadn’t appeared.