The Fresno votes are still close, with 70% of them counted so far. It’s split 75,597 yes votes to 75,443 no votes.

The Collegian will continue to update this story as news warrants.

San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties have all reported their initial results.

The county with the biggest swing is San Joaquin County. In 2024, San Joaquin voted for Trump by just 0.89% but has swung in favor of Proposition 50 by a 10% margin. Merced has also flipped from its 2024 results, voting yes on Proposition 50 by 4%. 

Stanislaus County has also shifted by 10%.

Kern County voted for Trump by a 21% margin in 2024, but is only voting against Proposition 50 by 13% — an 8% swing.

Fresno County was the third Central Valley county to vote for Trump in 2024 by 4%, but initial data shows Fresno County voting yes on Proposition 50 by a slim 1.4%.

After 58% of the votes have been counted, the number in favor of Proposition 50 has increased to 4,055,618, while the no votes trail behind at 2,203,341.

Fresno County has 58% of its votes in. So far, 51% are yes and 49% are no.

According to James A. Kus, there were a lot of last-minute voters, and there were a lot of observers at the polls this election.

“They observe the process, and there’s no issue there … We’ve even had some observers show up to observe the observers,” Kus said.

With 61% of the votes in, Los Angeles has voted in favor of Proposition 50. The votes are 75% yes and 25% no.

Kings County voted 60% no, and Madera voted 56%. Stanislaus County is also leaning toward no with 50.5%, so far.

Proposition 50 passed with 1,694,342 votes for yes and 1,045,186 votes for no, according to the New York Times.

So far, Sonoma, Napa, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Solano and Sacramento counties’ votes have been counted, all of which voted yes on the measure.

The outcome was announced before all of the votes were counted, which signals that the turnout was called based on other data, such as polls.

As of 8 p.m., the California special election voting polls are closed.

The Collegian’s special election survey results are as follows.

Juan Leija told The Collegian how this special election affects him and his views on elections.

“It reinforces our civic duty as members of society,” Leija said. “What we’re seeing right now happening across the country — I don’t think there’s been a worse time politically than what we’re dealing with right now. We have a responsibility to respond.”

He said that elections are one of the few ways people can make significant changes against an administration. He also said that he hopes this election will “bring back a sense of humanity.”

Lejia also said he hopes to see voters read deeper into the issues they vote on and not take them at face value.

Carlos Gamboa said he supports Proposition 50 and believes it is necessary to keep a balance in the House of Representatives. 

He also said that Proposition 50 isn’t a fair tactic, but it is a response to other states redrawing their congressional maps.

“If you’re gonna play dirty, then we’re gonna have to play the same rulebook,” Gamboa said. “Let’s hopefully try to find a way to meet back in the middle about issues that actually matter.” 

Gamboa also said he wants to see “a return to normalcy” in the United States.

Elisa Rivera said that she’s encouraged to see so many people cast their vote.

Rivera said she voted to combat Trump’s redistricting efforts in Texas to get more Republican seats for the 2026 midterms. She said that California is “expected to take a seat,” but hopes that voting yes on Proposition 50 will show that California is ready to fight back.

“President Trump has asked other states to find him votes to really rig the game,” Rivera said. “This is a way we can fight back and protect our democracy.”

Along with that, Rivera said that she is voting to have more votes at the federal level to protect government-funded programs.

She hopes that people will be more inclined to educate themselves about what is going on politically in the United States.

“If we don’t take action, we let others take action for us,” Rivera said.

Gabriel Felix spoke with The Collegian about why he decided to vote no on Proposition 50.

“Prop. 50 is trying to redraw lines for the Democrats,” Felix said. “It means they give my power away to the government.”

Felix added that he hopes to see Trump “come out on top” of the election, but that he fears potential voter fraud may be in the way.

“It’s not really up to the people, it’s just up to how many people are scamming this,” Felix said. “These ballots get counted for the other side, usually. Democrats have trashed the state of California big time.”

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post today that the Proposition 50 votes in California are “rigged” and that mail-in ballots are to blame. The California Secretary of State’s office responded to Trump’s claim, stating that it was “baseless” because California’s elections have been validated by the courts.

The Collegian spoke to voters who were waiting in line to cast their ballots for Proposition 50.

One voter, Jennifer Leandra, said she voted yes on Proposition 50 because it would combat President Donald Trump’s efforts to get more seats in the House.

“It’s a great thing what Gavin Newsom’s doing because Trump is trying to rig the election,” Leandra said. “Gavin Newsom is fighting back for our rights. Trump is trying to make a one-party country.”

Leandra hopes to see good things come out of the special election.

“This is a big opportunity for us to get back on track,” Leandra said. “People like Trump believe that if you don’t vote for him, you don’t deserve benefits and you should be punished. I want everybody to have a chance in life. . . we’re just trying to keep the country safe and together and not chaotic.”

For those who have not yet voted, polls and drop boxes close at 8 p.m. The locations of polls and drop boxes can be found here.

Voters in Fresno County have shown high turnout for this special election.

“We’ve had over 130,000 vote by mail ballots returned already,” said James A. Kus, Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters. “Today, we’ve had over 10,000 voters through 4 o’clock. It’s staying busy and will probably get busier tonight.”

With high voter turnout, lines are expected to be long in some polling locations.

Kus said the most important thing is to get to polling centers and stay in line or get to one of the six drop boxes in Fresno County before 8 p.m.

“If you still have your vote by mail ballot, don’t go to a vote center to try and vote in-person,” Kus said. “Go to those drop boxes. That’s your best route of getting that turned in.”