Hollister Council District 3 Separated by Seven Votes; District 2 Lead Is 39

HOLLISTER, San Benito County — November 5, 2026. Two district-based City Council elections are being closely watched as counting continues after the November 3 general election. In District 3, Dolores Morales has 515 votes and William B. Avera 508, a difference of just seven votes. In District 2, Brian Chavez has 429 to Frida Benjamin’s 390, a lead of 39 votes. All four figures are preliminary.

District 3: a seven-vote difference

Morales, the incumbent, is facing former City Manager William B. Avera. The Hollister Free Lance’s November 5 report quotes the registrar’s 1:26 a.m. November 4 count. With such a small reported lead, additional eligible ballots in the district could change the count. No final outcome can be inferred from a seven-vote margin alone.

District 2: Chavez and Benjamin

Chavez’s 429 votes represent 52.38% of counted valid choices in District 2; Benjamin has 390 (47.62%). These figures reflect a different electoral area than District 3. The two districts’ votes cannot be summed and then used to declare an at-large council candidate’s ranking.

How many more votes remain?

San Benito County has reported that more than 16,382 vote-by-mail ballots remain to be counted countywide. The office’s early reporting includes only 7,421 ballots across the county. However, the source does not disclose the exact distribution of outstanding ballots between Hollister’s Council Districts 2 and 3. Therefore the countywide figure cannot be treated as the number of votes left in either contest.

The mayoral election is a separate ballot

Hollister’s mayoral candidates are separated by just 22 votes at the top of the November 4 count. The mayor is elected by a different pool of voters from the residents of a single council district. Read California58’s citywide mayoral report for that race, and do not confuse the percentages between offices.

What the next report can establish

When the county election office posts additional votes, candidate totals should be compared with the November 4 cutoff quoted above. The legal official canvass may continue until December. The people who eventually hold council seats will take part in city budgets, public services, land-use decisions and civic oversight. No candidate is called a certified winner here.

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