Sponsored by
Orange County Board of Supervisors live results: Will it flip red or stay blue?
(
Raymond Rivera
/
For LAist
)
The Orange County Board of Supervisors currently appears poised to hold on to its Democratic majority, according to early returns released Tuesday night — although the final outcome remains uncertain with many votes left to count.
As of around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Democrat Connor Traut led Republican Tim Shaw in District 4. In District 5, Democratic incumbent Katrina Foley leads Republican challenger Diane Dixon. So far, these results only include vote-by-mail ballots — and it could be days before these races are called.
What’s at stake in this race
The board is technically nonpartisan, but in reality it deals with a wide range of often-politicized topics, from housing and homelessness to climate change.
Democrats hold a 3-2 majority on the board. Republicans have been hoping to win back control since 2022, when Democrats secured their first majority in over 50 years.
Why this race matters
Members of the Board of Supervisors are among the most powerful politicians in Orange County, and among the highest-paid elected officials in the state. Incoming board members will be dealing with the aftermath of several recent controversies, including a grand jury investigation over the supervisors’ decision to give themselves a pay raise, a $33 million settlement over the county’s role in starting the 2024 Airport Fire, and the corruption scandal surrounding former Supervisor Andrew Do.
Sponsored message
What does a supervisor do?
The five supervisors oversee around $11 billion in annual spending, and make decisions that reverberate across the county’s 34 cities and over 3.1 million residents. The board determines policy related to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, disaster response, public health and more.
Supervisors are also appointed to board seats on other entities such as the Orange County Transportation Authority and the Orange County Fire Authority, and the board essentially serves as city council and oversees local services such as road repair and law enforcement in unincorporated communities.
District 4 candidates
Candidates Tim Shaw, left, and Connor Traut.
(
Courtesy Tim Shaw, Connor Traut
/
Courtesy Tim Shaw, Connor Traut
)
District 4 is currently represented by Democrat Doug Chaffee, who terms out of office in January 2027. The district includes Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia, Stanton and parts of Anaheim.
Shaw, a Republican, narrowly lost to Chaffee back in 2018. Shaw currently sits on the Orange County Board of Education, previously served on the La Habra City Council, and works as the government affairs director at the Pacific West Association of Realtors and an adjunct political science professor at Rio Hondo College.
Sponsored message
Traut, a Democrat, is the current mayor of Buena Park, a previous member of the Centralia Elementary School District board, and works as an attorney in his family’s personal injury law firm.
District 5 candidates
District 5 is currently represented by Foley, a Democrat running for reelection. The district stretches from Costa Mesa to San Clemente and includes parts of several other communities, including Irvine, Laguna Hills, San Juan Capistrano and some unincorporated parts of the county.
Foley formerly served as mayor and city councilmember in Costa Mesa, and as a member of the Newport Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees. Foley is an attorney who specializes in employment law out of her Newport Beach law firm.
Dixon, a Republican, is a current state Assemblymember representing District 72, which overlaps with much of the Board of Supervisors’ District 5. Dixon previously served as mayor and city councilmember in Newport Beach, and previously worked as a communications executive.
Prior reporting from LAist Orange County Correspondent Jill Replogle was used in this story.
What to keep in mind about these numbers
- For LAist's charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County and Orange County registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State's Office.
- Has your ballot been tallied yet? You can track the status of your ballot here.
- Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known. The upshot: Ballots can be postmarked up to and including Election Day. They're counted as long as the ballot arrives within seven days of the election and that window contributes to the lag time before results are announced.
- In L.A. County, for example, daily updates on the counting are expected to take place at least once a day — usually around 5 p.m. — through Nov. 13. (There will be multiple updates on Nov. 5 and 6.) Then, the once-a-day counts will resume again on Nov. 17, 19, 25 and 27. The office is scheduled to certify election results by Friday, Nov. 27. In Orange County, There will be multiple updates after the polls close, and then daily updates weekdays at 5 p.m. until results are scheduled to be certified on or before Dec. 3.
- The California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify the election results on Dec. 11.
- Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will rely on official results and report when candidates concede. Otherwise, we rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls. We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR's and the AP's process for counting votes and calling races here and here.
Sponsored message
Campaign finance
How to get involved
- The Orange County Board of Supervisors meets on alternating Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. at 400 W. Civic Center Drive, Santa Ana. You can check out the O.C. Board of Supervisors full calendar here.
- Learn how to submit a public comment to the O.C. Board of Supervisors.
Ask us a question
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about who's funding the campaigns or how to track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2026 election.