By Victor A. Patton l November 3, 2023

The wait for Election Day is almost over, and like many residents you may still be trying to figure out where and how to vote.

Thankfully, the folks at the Merced County Registrar’s Office say they have you covered.

Roughly 25% of registered voters in Merced County have already cast their ballots.

Registrar of Voters Melvin Levey told The Merced FOCUS his staff has counted 33,222 ballots with verified signatures as of Thursday evening, out of roughly 132,000 registered voters.

Although the voter registration deadline has passed, those who wish to vote can still fill out a conditional ballot at any voting center – a process under California law also known as same day voter registration.

Do you still need to send or drop off a vote-by-mail ballot? All vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday and received by the Registrar of Voters by 5 p.m. Nov. 12. Vote by mail ballots can be dropped off at voting centers until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Voters can drop off their ballots at drop box locations in Merced County through Tuesday, Nov. 5 (hours vary, check the link for locations and times). Ballots can also be requested or filled out at the Registrar of Voters Main Office at 2222 M Street in Merced.

Voting centers are now operating at 14 locations until 8 p.m. Tuesday. Those centers are able to handle conditional ballots and assist with language needs. The services offered at voting centers include 1). Language services 2). Ballot replacement 3). Conditional ballots. 4).  Accessible voting. 

During the last presidential election, which was Nov. 2020, Merced County saw 79% of registered voters participate, the county’s highest voter turnout in recent memory. Levey said he wouldn’t be surprised if turnout this year is somewhere near that.

Results from the elections will be posted on the Registrar of Voters website. Merced County officials said the first batch of election results will be posted to the Merced County Elections website shortly after 8 p.m. and no later than 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The second batch of results will be posted by 10 p.m. Tuesday. The third batch of results will be released by 1 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Those results will be the final report for the night, barring any unforeseen circumstances, election officials said.

The next results update after Election Night will be posted to the Merced County Elections website by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8.

For more information about voting in Merced County, visit the Registrar of Voters website or call (209) 385-7434