Badger, California Public Records

Residents register to vote online through the California Secretary of State's portal at registertovote.ca.gov, which requires a California driver's license or ID number and accepts registrations up to 15 days before any election. California also offers conditional voter registration allowing same-day registration and voting at the Visalia elections office or any vote center through Election Day. Registration requires U.S. Citizenship, California residency, and age 18 by Election Day. Because the community is unincorporated, it has no municipal elections - no mayor, city council, or local ballot measures specific to the area itself. Residents vote only in county, state, and federal contests. The assigned polling place for in-person voting has traditionally been the Badger General Store or nearby Three Rivers Memorial Building (43490 Sierra Drive, Three Rivers), though Tulare County transitioned to a vote center model in 2020, allowing any county voter to cast a ballot at any vote center during the 11-day voting period. Voters find their nearest vote center at tularecounty.ca.gov/elections/vote-centers or by calling 559-624-7300. Tulare County mailed ballots to all registered voters starting in 2020 under California's permanent vote-by-mail expansion; voters can return mail ballots via USPS (postmarked by Election Day), at any vote center, or in official drop boxes located in Three Rivers and Visalia. In the November 2024 presidential election, Tulare County reported 119,847 ballots cast out of 179,206 registered voters, a 66.9% turnout. The local precinct (Precinct 3340084) recorded approximately 87 ballots cast from roughly 115 registered voters, a 75.7% turnout exceeding the county average. On November 3, 2026, voters will decide several significant races. California does not hold gubernatorial elections in 2026 (Governor Newsom's term runs through 2026 with the next race in 2026), but voters will elect a U.S. Senator - California's Class III seat currently held by Senator Alex Padilla is up for election in 2028, not 2026; however, California's Class I seat will see an election in 2024 (already held), so 2026 will feature no U.S. Senate race unless a special election is called. Voters will elect all 52 California House seats (the area falls in District 22, currently represented by David Valadao), 20 of the 40 California State Senate seats (odd-numbered districts), and all 80 State Assembly seats (Badger is in Assembly District 26). Tulare County voters will elect a Sheriff, District Attorney, Assessor-Clerk-Recorder, Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector, and three of five Board of Supervisors seats (Districts 1, 3, and 5). California's election records are extensively public: voter registration lists are available for purchase under California Elections Code Section 2188 ($5 per thousand names, restricted to election, political, scholarly, or journalistic purposes), campaign finance reports are searchable at cal-access.sos.ca.gov, and precinct-level results are published by the Secretary of State and county elections offices. Residents request absentee/mail ballots at tularecounty.ca.gov/elections or by calling 559-624-7300; ballots mail approximately 29 days before Election Day.