KERN COUNTY, California — November 5, 2026. In the Kern County portion of California’s 22nd Congressional District, the county’s initial election-night results show Randy Villegas with 34,267 votes (68.94%) and incumbent David G. Valadao with 15,437 (31.06%). This is a 18,830-vote Villegas lead within the Kern precincts included in the report. It is not automatically the complete districtwide vote, which may include voters from other counties and later qualifying ballots.
Why a county subtotal is not the final congressional result
The Kern County Elections Division lists 398 of 398 relevant county precincts reporting in the District 22 contest. That indicator reflects initial returns from Kern precincts only. Federal House districts can cross county boundaries, and the Secretary of State aggregates votes from all participating counties. Editors must not call a districtwide winner based solely on the county portion or add a county subtotal again to a statewide aggregate that already incorporates it.
Two different local voting patterns in neighboring seats
Kern’s portion of the 20th Congressional District reports Vince Fong with 48,282 votes against Sandra Van Scotter’s 27,283. In the county’s smaller 23rd District portion, Jay Obernolte has 1,516 votes versus Tessa Lynn Hodge’s 1,261. The counts belong to different House districts. A county can have multiple distinct constituencies that do not all vote for the same representative.
What comes after November 3
The next congressional delegation is determined by the final certified results, not merely the order of county election-night reports. Later mail and provisional ballots, as well as verified returns from other counties in a cross-county seat, can change districtwide standings. For the full statewide totals and any Associated Press projection, readers should use the California Secretary of State election results alongside the Kern county report.
How this affects California58’s local editions
Bakersfield, Delano and surrounding communities have their own municipal or special-district elections. Those results cannot be attributed to everyone in House District 22, which is a federal constituency. California58 has published a Bakersfield Ward 3 account and Delano local measures separately.
Primary source: Kern County Elections Division official unofficial November 4, 2:55 a.m. return, for Kern-only congressional district portions. No complete districtwide certified result is asserted.
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