More Ballots Counted, Trends Hold in Humboldt County Election

More than a week after Election Day, Humboldt County election officials have counted 39,558 ballots, bringing voter turnout to 46.57% of the county’s 84,944 registered voters. While the results remain unofficial and additional ballots may still be processed, the latest post-election report suggests that the major local races are unlikely to see significant changes.

The clearest local outcomes continue to be in Humboldt County’s contested county races.

In the Fifth District Supervisor race, incumbent Mary Burke holds a commanding lead with 77.06% of the vote compared to 22.94% for challenger Evan Schwartz, a margin of more than 4,200 votes.

Similarly, Audrey Hanks maintains a substantial advantage in the Assessor race, receiving 79.03% of the vote to Ben Larson’s 20.97%, a lead approaching 20,000 votes.

The results also show Humboldt County voters strongly favoring incumbents and establishment candidates in several state and federal races. Congressman Jared Huffman received 59.38% of the local vote in the crowded race for California’s 2nd Congressional District, while Chris Rogers led the Assembly District 2 contest with 66.53% and Damon Connolly carried the State Senate District 2 race with 66.46%.

In the race for governor, Humboldt voters gave their strongest support to Tom Steyer, who received 31.89% of the vote. Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra were nearly tied for second place locally, receiving 21.39% and 21.34%, respectively.

The county’s two local ballot measures also continue to enjoy comfortable margins. Measure A, the Resort Improvement District No. 1 parcel tax measure, has received 75.61% support, while Measure B, the Trinidad Unified School District bond measure, is supported by 66.04% of voters.

Although elections officials have now counted nearly 40,000 ballots and all precincts have reported, the results remain unofficial until certification. Elections officials have not yet released an estimate of how many ballots remain to be processed before certification. Historically, remaining ballots can affect close contests, but the wide margins in Humboldt County’s major local races make dramatic shifts increasingly unlikely. Third Post Election Report-6-12-2026 01-47-58 PM