Bittle Leads Tight Bakersfield Ward 3 Council Race

Cassie Bittle holds a 912-vote lead over Pedro Naveiras as roughly 30,000 ballots remain uncounted in Kern County.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a low civic building facade and flagpole against a flat horizon, in deep red and cream. — Cassie Bittle leads Pedro Naveiras by 912 votes in the Bakersfield Ward 3 council race as roughly 30,000 Kern County ballots remain uncounted. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Cassie Bittle leads the Bakersfield City Council Ward 3 race with 5,144 votes, or 33.7%, ahead of Pedro Naveiras with 4,232 votes, or 27.7%. The Kern County Elections Division has released results in rounds, and the race remains too close to call with approximately 30,000 ballots still to be counted.

Why it matters

The Ward 3 seat is open because incumbent Ken Weir did not seek re-election, so the outcome will determine who represents the ward on the Bakersfield City Council. With Bittle's lead at 912 votes, the remaining uncounted ballots could still shift the result.

The unofficial tally shows Bittle with 5,144 votes, Naveiras with 4,232, Kathryn Halling with 3,803, Juan Carlos "JC" Llamas with 1,375 and Seth Hewett with 708, based on the Kern County Elections Division's rounds of results. Roughly 30,000 ballots remain to be counted, and the final margin will not be known until those are tallied.

The players

Kern County Elections Division

The county office responsible for tallying and releasing election results in Kern County, which includes Bakersfield.

The details

Kern County Elections Division released its first Ward 3 results on Nov. 3. Hewett dropped out of the race in late October and endorsed Bittle, and the latest release showed Bittle still ahead of Naveiras.

Nov. 3, 2026: Kern County Elections Division released first Ward 3 results.
Late October 2026: Seth Hewett dropped out and endorsed Cassie Bittle.
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2026: Latest vote release showed Bittle leading.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026: Next round of Ward 3 results scheduled for release.

Election Night Context

Results in the Ward 3 race are following the Kern County Elections Division's standard pattern of releasing counts in rounds, so early leads can narrow as later ballots are processed. The current 912-vote margin is the kind of gap that the remaining roughly 30,000 ballots could meaningfully change.

Bakersfield voters in Ward 3 will not know their next council representative until the remaining ballots are counted and the race is called. The outcome will determine who represents the ward on city matters going forward.

The takeaway

Election margins in close races can change as later ballots are counted, so it is worth waiting for official results before drawing conclusions. Checking the Kern County Elections Division's release schedule is the most reliable way to follow the count.

What happens next

The next round of Ward 3 results is scheduled for release Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, when more of the roughly 30,000 uncounted ballots are expected to be tallied.