About the vote count
As you watch these results, keep in mind:
- As of Friday, Nov. 15, Orange County voters had returned nearly 1.4 million ballots and 1.36 million had been tallied.
- The county has about 1.9 million voters considered to be active.
Get full results:
Keep in mind that in tight races the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after Election Day. This is normal. Here's why.
In Orange County vote updates will the released each weekday by 5 p.m. until the last official results are posted.
In California, ballots postmarked on or before Nov. 5 are counted toward the results as long as they arrive within seven days of the election. The California Secretary of State's Office is scheduled to certify the final vote on Dec. 13.
What is at stake in this race
The five county supervisors are some of the most powerful people in Orange County, deciding about $9 billion in spending each year on key government services like public health, mental health, law enforcement and child protective services.
They also control how much funding goes to key law enforcement agencies — like the Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office— and can influence how it’s spent.
Many former county supervisors have moved on to state or federal office after their time on the board — including U.S. Reps. Michelle Steel and Lou Correa, former U.S. Ambassador and Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez and former state Sen. John Moorlach.
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Scott Schmerelson was unanimously elected Tuesday to lead the LAUSD board after defeating a well-funded challenger in November’s election. -
Nguyen was able to take office weeks early to fill the vacancy caused Do’s resignation. -
Nathan Hochman succeeds George Gascón, known as the godfather of progressive prosecutors.
Why this race mattered
Each supervisor has a lot of authority to do what they want in their district with county resources. County officials call it “district prerogative,” where the full board defers to individual supervisors when it comes to their district. Sometimes, it can go too far. The winner will fill the seat held by former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, who cannot run because he’s termed out. And last week, he plead guilty for a felony bribery charge. It's safe to say that government transparency and restoring voter trust will be hot issues in the next term.
