The midterm elections were in full swing on Tuesday as people in Orange County showed up to vote, in what some say, was a historic turnout.
According to reports from CBSLA, voter turnout in Orange County was expected to reach 68 percent, which beats the 55 percent they saw in 2010.
The race for the fourth district seat on the North Orange County Board of Supervisors was extremely close one with La Habra Mayor Tim Shaw (R) in a less than one percent lead over Fullerton Democrat Mayor Doug Chaffee (D).
The fourth district seat spans from Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia, Brea, to parts of Anaheim and Buena Park. The Board of Supervisors oversees the $6 billion county administration of homelessness, mental health, social services, law enforcement, public works and other services.
However, the winner has not yet been announced because both men are currently in a tie as the remaining votes are being accounted for. Whichever mayor wins will be a change for the board, Chaffee would be the first Democrat to hold the seat in decades, while Shaw would be the first La Habra mayor ever to hold the seat.
The race for Governing Board Member Trustee for the North Orange County Community College District saw incumbent Jefferey P. Brown get reelected over his opponent Pao Ling Quo.
District Attorney incumbent Tony Rackauckas has lost to Todd Spitzer by 5 percent, after a heated campaign between the Orange County supervisor and the current District Attorney. The two have had a turbulent history together, where Spitzer at one time worked for Rackauckas until they had a falling out in 2010.
Rackauckas planned on retiring after his term was over, but changed his mind to prevent Spitzer from taking over the seat. The run proved futile as Spitzer won and will be the next Orange County District Attorney.
The new Orange County Sheriff has been elected, the Undersheriff Don Barnes has won over his opponent Duke Nguyen by 14 percent. Barnes took the lead early on and maintained his lead throughout the entire race.
Barnes was hand picked over newcomer Nguyen by Hutchens due to his 29 year experience on the force. The Orange Country Sheriffs department is the fifth largest sheriffs department in the nation. Barnes had already been dealing with its day to day aspects and has been the public face for special events and for news cameras.
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