Santa Barbara County Election Update: Close Races See Little Shift as Ballots Remain Uncounted
Updated ballot counts in Santa Barbara County have shown little change in the closely contested races for the 5th District Supervisor and Santa Barbara Mayor. Ricardo Valencia continues to lead Maribel Aguilera for the supervisor seat, and Eric Friedman remains…
Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, November 5, 2026 — Santa Barbara County’s closely watched election races for the 5th District Supervisor and the Mayor of Santa Barbara have shown minimal shifts in their latest ballot count updates. Despite a considerable number of ballots yet to be processed, the leaders in both contests remain consistent.
In the race for the 5th District Supervisor seat, Ricardo Valencia continues to hold a lead over his opponent, Maribel Aguilera. The updated counts have reflected little change, maintaining the existing margin between the two candidates. The exact number of outstanding ballots that could still influence this outcome was not provided.
Similarly, the contest for the Mayor of Santa Barbara shows Eric Friedman maintaining his position ahead of Kristen Sneddon. As with the supervisor race, the recent ballot tallying has not significantly altered the standings, leaving the final result dependent on the remaining uncounted votes. Details regarding the specific quantity of these pending ballots were not immediately available.
Both races are characterized as closely contested, indicating that the final determination will hinge on the remaining ballots. Election officials are continuing the process of counting outstanding votes. Further updates are anticipated as more ballots are tallied.
Story summarized from the original created by Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Executive Editor,Evelyn Spence, South County Editor on www.noozhawk.com, see more information here.
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