Mission Viejo Council District 4 Short Term: Morrison Leads Lacko by 172 Votes

MISSION VIEJO, November 4, 2026. In Mission Viejo’s District 4 short-term City Council election, the Orange County Registrar’s unofficial count lists James Morrison with 2,402 votes (51.86%) and Laura Lacko with 2,230 (48.14%). Their gap is 172 votes.

District 2 has another short-term seat

The city held a separate short-term race in District 2, where Saga Conroy leads Peter Molinari by 3,520 to 2,895 votes. District 3 has a full-term contest with Bryan Zahn at 2,668 versus Cynthia Vasquez at 2,094. District 5 shows Steven Thornton as the only listed candidate with 4,407 votes.

Why the term designation matters

“Short term” is part of the official ballot description for Districts 2 and 4. Those contests should not be lumped together with a regular full-term election, and their vote totals should not be compared as if the same people were eligible to vote in both districts. Voters can locate the full descriptions and subsequent county tallies in the Registrar’s contest listing.

All four results remain unofficial. The county plans a further update at 5 p.m. on November 4, and eligible ballots remaining in the canvass could change the reported margins.

Sources: Orange County Registrar of Voters, November 3, 2026 General Election results; official reporting schedule. Numbers are the unofficial snapshot available November 4 before the scheduled 5 p.m. update.

For statewide context, visit California58’s election results hub.

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