Maricopa Council Election: Adams Holds Second Seat by Just Two Votes Over Crump

MARICOPA, Kern County. — November 5, 2026. Maricopa’s two-seat City Council election is exceptionally close at the threshold that determines who appears in the second winning position. Kern County’s unofficial election-night tally reports Cory Morse with 60 candidate votes (26.32%), Malinda Adams 53 (23.25%), and John Crump Jr. 51 (22.37%). Just two votes separate the second and third positions.

All five names

Virgil Bell has 42 candidate selections (18.42%) and Richard W. Albright has 22 (9.65%). The county lists one of one city precincts as reporting, but that is a reporting-status indicator rather than proof every eligible mailed, provisional or corrected-signature ballot has been examined. The five candidates total 228 selections. Because the ballot is vote-for-two, 228 selections do not equal 228 unique voters.

Different election for treasurer

The county also lists Dorine B. Horn as the sole ballot-listed candidate for city treasurer, with 101 recorded votes. An uncontested treasury ballot cannot be used as a measure of support for any particular council candidate. Maricopa city government and its services are distinct from the Kern County Board of Supervisors and the special districts residents may also vote in.

Why the next report matters

Even one new ballot can affect a two-vote gap if it contains a valid council selection. This article uses Kern’s November 4 report issued at 2:55:39 a.m., not a claimed later Thursday canvass. The final result comes from the legally completed count, not from a newspaper’s assumption about remaining voter preferences.

Sources: Kern County Elections Division, November 3 general election, unofficial election-night report issued November 4, 2026 at 2:55:39 a.m. Pacific; related California58 reports linked above. Numbers are not certified. Reported precinct completion does not mean every lawful ballot has been counted.

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