By Petaluma Voice

Updates will be posted as they become available.

Eric Vazquez leads incumbent Karen Nau in the race to represent District 3 on Petaluma City Council, as of 11:45 p.m. on election night.

Vazquez had 58% of votes to Nau's 42%. The early results represent four of four precincts reporting and 1,310 votes tallied. The precincts are only a portion of the overall votes, as many mail-in ballots are yet to be counted.

District 3 has 6,179 voters, 3,262 of which voted in 2022. Turnout is expected to be higher in this election.

Whoever wins the contest once mail-in and provisional ballots are counted will represent the area that is roughly bordered by Highway 101 to the east, McDowell Elementary School to the north, Crinella Drive to the west, and Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility to the south.

Nau, a retired preschool teacher and a 50-plus year resident of Petaluma, previously served on the Petaluma City Council from 2004 to 2008. This would be her third term on the dais. Her first foray into local politics began with the Petaluma Bicentennial Committee alongside Helen Putnam from 1975 to 1977. She’s also served on various commissions during her terms, and won the Good Egg Award in 1995. According to Nau’s latest filings, she raised over $7,400 and made about $5,000 in expenditures toward her campaign.

Vazquez is a newcomer to city council, yet the lifelong resident has been active with local governance and politics, having served on the Transit Advisory Committee and Sonoma County Conservation Action, and as the campaign manager for Caroline Buñuelos’ successful run for Santa Rosa City Council. This calendar year his campaign raised nearly $19,000 and recorded nearly $15,800 in expenses. Since last year, his campaign raised upwards of $26,000.

If he wins, Vazquez, 27, will be the youngest person ever to serve on the Petaluma City Council.

Nau was supported by California Future Fund PAC, which spent close to $6,000 and which was largely funded by mobile home park owners Harmony Communities. Vazquez was supported by a Brooklyn-based California Working Families Party PAC, spending around $1,600.

Election results will be posted online on the Registrar of Voters Office website about every two hours after 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. when all the vote centers have been tabulated, according to Registrar of Voters Evelyn Mendez.

The office will publish the next results on Thursday, Mendez said.