Modesto City Schools Area 5: Michelle Tomlinson Leads Debra Brady in Early Count

MODESTO, Stanislaus County — November 4, 2026. The open Trustee Area 5 seat on the Modesto City Schools Board has a competitive early count, with Michelle Tomlinson ahead of Debra Brady.

Preliminary election numbers

The Modesto Focus’s November 4 morning report gave Tomlinson about 53% and Brady about 47% of the votes counted in that trustee-area contest.

Who votes and what is decided?

Area 5 is an education governing-board seat, separate from municipal City Council elections and the school bond measures. Modesto City Schools also had elections in Areas 1 and 7, but their votes come from different electorates. A lead in this dated report is not the final canvassed result.

Why the report is provisional

These percentages appeared in local reporting updated on November 4, 2026 and do not represent a newly verified November 5 county result. Stanislaus County will review and count additional eligible vote-by-mail, provisional and conditional-registration ballots during its official canvass. Only the Registrar of Voters can certify the outcome.

Sources: The Modesto Focus — updated November 4 election returns; Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters. California58 statewide election coverage.

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