Rancho Santa Margarita Council District 1: Josh Bastian Leads by 1,452 Votes

Published November 6, 2026. Source snapshot: November 5, 2026, 5:00:24 p.m. Pacific.

Josh Bastian leads Nicholas Reese by 1,452 votes in Orange County’s reported count for Rancho Santa Margarita Council District 1. The county lists 2,718 votes for Josh Bastian and 1,266 for Nicholas Reese.

Reported votes

Orange County return. (VOTE FOR 1).

Rancho Santa Margarita Council District 1 — reported county votes
Candidate	Votes
Josh Bastian	2,718
Nicholas Reese	1,266

What voters are deciding

The result concerns the specific local office or special district board named in the county return. Voters elect representatives to distinct seats under the vote-for rule shown below. The office label and available-seat count determine how to interpret the ranking.

These are unofficial returns from the November 3 general election. Additional valid ballots and canvass review can change the totals or ranking. In multi-seat contests, candidate selections are not the number of individual voters. For any district extending into another county, compare the other county’s return before drawing a districtwide conclusion.

Source: Orange County official election results, November 5, 2026, 5:00:24 p.m. Pacific. County election information and subsequent updates. California58 calculated the margins from the reported candidate votes.

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