Eight candidates are competing for four seats on the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees, and at least one of those races has taken a strange turn: a candidate who publicly dropped out remains on the ballot and, depending on which vote count you look at, might still be leading.
Paula Dahl, a longtime teacher and coach at Bakersfield College, withdrew from the Area 3 race and threw her support behind fellow candidate Douglas Thompson, according to KGET 17 News. But her name remained listed on the Kern County elections website and on the Area 3 ballot itself, according to The Bakersfield Californian.
That has made for a confusing scoreboard. As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, KGET reported that Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg led the Area 3 field with 34.94% of the vote, followed by Thompson at 33.51% and Dahl at 31.55%. A separate KGET report, however, said that as of early Wednesday morning, Dahl had pulled ahead with 4,847 votes, or 34% of the Kern County tally. The two snapshots do not line up, and no final results have been established for the race.
A Candidate Who Says She Never Wanted the Seat
Dahl told the Californian she would serve if elected despite dropping out, calling it something that would be a miracle and part of the Lord's plan. She said she felt humbled by voters' trust after 32½ years at Bakersfield College, where she worked to empower students and athletes alike.
Gomez-Heitzeberg, who was first elected to the KCCD board in November 2018, was seeking reelection to a third term, the station's report notes. Her campaign emphasized three priorities, according to the Californian: increasing community-college access for students, maximizing student success and ensuring fiscal stability for the district. She has also flagged artificial intelligence, both in and outside the classroom, as an issue the board will be grappling with over the next four years, per Tehachapi News.
Another Tight Race Just Down the Ballot
Area 3 wasn't the only contest drawing attention. In the district's Area 2 race, Christina Scrivner faced off against Paula Bray, and the same KGET report on that contest showed Scrivner leading with 56.59% of the vote to Bray's 43.41% as of 10 p.m. That race appeared more settled than the muddle in Area 3.
The Kern Community College District board holds real authority over how the region's colleges operate. Per Tehachapi News, the board sets policies and guidelines, manages budgets and oversees operations across all the community colleges in the district, which stretches over roughly 24,800 square miles, according to the Californian.
Why the Numbers Keep Shifting
Part of the confusion traces back to how Kern County released results. The first results accepted only vote-by-mail ballots received through Friday, Oct. 30, the Californian reported, with subsequent updates reflecting ballots cast at the polls. County election officials said new vote updates would be released Tuesdays and Thursdays, continuing to incorporate vote-by-mail ballots until the official canvass is complete.
The shifting counts have implications beyond Area 3. The Californian also reported that in a separate local race, Juan Figueroa Jr. led incumbent John Corkins by 400 votes in combined Kern and Tulare county returns, with Corkins at 4,075 votes and Figueroa at 4,475 in the last count available. None of these figures represent final, certified outcomes, and officials have not declared winners in the contests still in flux.
