FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — With two weeks until California’s primary elections, candidates are making their final push.<\/p>\n
Ads are popping up across the state, flooding TV and radio.<\/p>\n
“There’s quite a number of candidates on the ballot, so a lot of candidates are having some trouble trying to distinguish themselves from the others,” Fresno State political science professor Tom Holyoke said.<\/p>\n
With more than 60 candidates on the ballot for governor alone, Holyoke said recognition is key.<\/p>\n
“Oftentimes, people will go look at a ballot, and they don’t know a whole lot about the people on the ballot. But if you recognize a name, they’re going to gravitate toward that. So what you want to do is get your name into people’s minds so they remember it,” he said.<\/p>\n
From TVs to mailboxes, mailers are seemingly nonstop.<\/p>\n
“People who get most of their entertainment from streaming services, they may not be as easy to get to with advertisements. So, actually, a lot of candidates are going back to a very old-fashioned route, just putting flyers in the mail, because that will get to people,” Holyoke said.<\/p>\n
Stuck among those election flyers, voters are encouraged to look for two voter guides, one from the state and one from the county, and to check for their vote-by-mail ballot.<\/p>\n
Fresno County voters should have received them earlier in May.<\/p>\n
“Participation in these primary elections are usually pretty low turnout,” Holyoke said. “Those candidates really need to spend a lot of time on their ground game, getting people out to the polls.”<\/p>\n
Candidates are aware that every vote counts, and in this final stretch, many are going beyond the mailbox, knocking on doors and promoting that outreach online.<\/p>\n
“That adds a nice personal touch,” Holyoke said. “That basic, sort of, retail politics does work.”<\/p>\n
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