Fortuna Measure D Flips to No by 16 Votes in Last Humboldt Election-Night Batch

FORTUNA, Humboldt County — November 4, 2026. Fortuna’s Measure D, a proposal concerning essential-services funding, changed direction in Humboldt County’s last election-night count. It had led by 45 yes votes in an earlier batch but now trails by 16 votes.

Latest overnight count

Redheaded Blackbelt’s report published at 12:53 a.m. records 901 votes in favor of Measure D and 917 opposed, placing yes at 49.56% of the 1,818 votes counted so far. This is a different time slice from earlier returns, not a contradictory final result.

Why a 16-vote difference matters

Additional eligible ballots can change the outcome, particularly when the margin is small. Voters should not treat a late-night lead change as a legally certified rejection. The county still needs to process qualifying mail ballots and complete its canvass.

Other local election issues

Fortuna residents also vote for school district representatives and other local agencies. In the Fortuna Union High School District three-seat board contest, Racheal Henry, John Taylor and Anita Gage held the three highest totals in this same report, with 1,661, 1,484 and 1,379 candidate selections respectively. Those are separate votes, not votes on Measure D.

Unofficial count from the last Humboldt election-night report. See Humboldt County Elections for follow-up updates.

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