Hollister Mayor Count: Tim Burns Leads Tina Garza by Just 22 Votes; Thousands of Ballots Await Review

HOLLISTER, California — November 5, 2026. Hollister’s mayoral election is exceptionally close after the first substantial November 3 ballot reports. Former Councilmember Tim Burns has 1,716 votes (43.93%), just 22 votes ahead of Tina Garza’s 1,694 (43.37%), according to San Benito County Registrar figures reported by the Hollister Free Lance. Third candidate Scott McPhail has about 12.7% of votes in the available snapshot. These figures do not identify a certified winner.

Counting is still in its early stages

The county’s latest cited update was posted at 1:26 a.m. November 4. It represented 7,421 counted countywide ballots, or roughly 19% of the county’s 40,019 registered voters. Of that early group, 4,966 were vote-by-mail and 2,455 were cast on Election Day, according to the published reporting. The county also had more than 16,382 mail ballots still awaiting counting. That is a countywide workload estimate, not 16,382 additional votes in the mayoral contest.

Why a small lead can change

Mail ballots, provisional votes and other valid ballots require review. A lead of 22 votes is an election-night measurement, not a prediction of how those outstanding ballots will be distributed. The source does not establish an exact number of uncounted ballots eligible for Hollister mayor, so it would be incorrect to use a countywide backlog to estimate the probability of any outcome.

Local offices will affect city decisions

The mayor participates in Hollister’s budget, municipal services, land-use, development and council governance under local law. But municipal officeholders do not independently decide every county, school or special-district matter. Residents should follow the local council elections separately rather than infer council makeup from the citywide mayoral vote.

Two council districts also have close races

The early District 2 count has Brian Chavez 429 to Frida Benjamin 390, while District 3 shows Dolores Morales 515 versus William B. Avera 508, a seven-vote gap. California58 is publishing those council contests separately. The mayoral and council races have different geographic voting populations.

Next county release and verification

SanBenito.com’s November 5 report attributes the totals to the San Benito County Registrar of Voters. Check the county elections office for later counts. California certification is scheduled for December, and the numbers above remain unofficial.

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