Naven Leads Singh by 741 Votes in Manteca
Challenger Jacob Naven holds an early lead over incumbent Gary Singh as mail-in ballots are still being verified.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Challenger Jacob Naven led incumbent Gary Singh by 741 votes in the early Manteca mayoral count, with 8,240 votes (52.35 percent) to Singh's 7,499 (47.65 percent). Mail-in ballots postmarked as of Tuesday are still being received and verified against voter signatures.
Why it matters
The early lead comes before all mail-in ballots are counted, so the outcome of the Manteca mayoral race remains open. The result will determine who leads the city, and the count is expected to take several days.
With 16,171 ballots counted in the mayoral race, Naven holds 52.35 percent to Singh's 47.65 percent. Remaining mail-in ballots must still be received and signature-verified before the count is final.
The players
San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters
The county office responsible for counting and verifying ballots in San Joaquin County, including those in Manteca, Ripon, and Lathrop.
Jacob Naven
A challenger in the Manteca mayoral race currently leading incumbent Gary Singh in the early count.
Gary Singh
The incumbent Manteca mayor trailing Jacob Naven in the early mayoral count.
The details
The San Joaquin Registrar of Voters is counting ballots across several Manteca-area races, including the mayoral contest and council seats in Districts 3 and 4. Early results also show Barry Keith leading Stephen Schluer 1,872 to 1,568 in the MUSD Trustee 6 race, and Veronica Salazar leading Marie Freitas 1,671 to 1,042 in Trustee 4.
Timeline
Tuesday: deadline postmark date for mail-in ballots still being received.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 12:24 a.m.: early mayoral count reported.
Thursday, 5 p.m.: next scheduled update on the vote count.
Legal Context
California's mail-ballot counting rules allow ballots postmarked by election day to arrive afterward, which is why early counts in local races like Manteca's can shift as verification continues. The result remains open until the registrar completes signature checks on the remaining ballots.
Residents who have not yet returned their mail-in ballots should confirm they were postmarked by Tuesday, since those ballots can still affect the final count. The outcome will determine who represents Manteca as mayor and on the City Council.
The takeaway
Early results can change as late-arriving mail-in ballots are counted, so the current mayoral lead should not be treated as final until verification is complete.
What happens next
The San Joaquin Registrar of Voters will issue the next vote count update at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Further reading
Follow the latest results in the Elections section for Manteca's mayoral and council races.
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