Preliminary election-night results
Official source snapshot: November 3, 2026, 8:05:46 p.m. Pacific. Steve Vaus led Poway’s reported mayoral tally at this update, with a margin of 3,745 votes over Jenny Maeda. This is an incomplete count, not a declaration of victory.
| Candidate | Votes | Share of reported candidate votes |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Vaus | 6,796 | 53.16% |
| Jenny Maeda | 3,051 | 23.87% |
| Dellena Olps | 2,936 | 22.97% |
The table comes from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ results dashboard, linked from its official election page. Percentages describe candidate votes reported in this contest, not the proportion of the final electorate counted.
The registrar says its first release includes mail ballots received before Election Day and early vote-center ballots from October 24 through November 2. Later election-night reports add Election Day vote-center ballots. Additional mail-ballot processing and verification continue after Election Day. Totals and margins may change; these results are unofficial until canvass and certification.
Read the registrar’s explanation of the count and consult its dashboard for later updates. The campaign reporting below supplies context and does not establish a personal voting appearance beyond the sources explicitly identified.
POWAY, California — Steve Vaus, Jenny Maeda and Dellena Olps are the three candidates for Poway’s citywide mayoral seat in the November 3, 2026, election.
The official city election page lists all three candidate statements. Their campaign websites offer different proposals for development, traffic and community services. California58 has not independently verified any contender’s personal voting time, method or location.
Steve Vaus: downtown improvements and open space
Vaus’ campaign priorities include improving Poway Road traffic through adaptive signals, downtown landscaping and public art, and adding benches and bicycle racks. He proposes an open-space preserve linking Twin Peaks and Boulder Mountain and a park at the Big Stone Lodge site.
His published agenda also supports increased recreation, protection of private-property rights and local control over land-use decisions. It lists a ban on AI data centers among his priorities. This is a description of his campaign platform, not a claim about the final status of a particular ordinance.
Jenny Maeda: development oversight and accountability
Maeda’s official campaign website emphasizes preserving Poway’s rural character and points to her council voting record on development, ridgelines and water rates. It also presents cross-party participation in advisory committees and enforcement of ethics standards as priorities.
Those are the campaign’s characterizations of her record. Its assertions that she was the only candidate to take particular actions are not independently established here and should be checked against the underlying city records.
Dellena Olps: services, mobility and accessible parks
Olps’ campaign calls for more family events, senior services and after-school programs. She advocates illuminated crosswalks, e-bike regulations, a clean-air shuttle and additional electric-vehicle charging stations.
Her platform also favors open-space and habitat protection, native planting and accessible playground equipment. She proposes reforming business permits to support jobs and local economic activity.
What is confirmed
All three candidates are included in the official mayoral field. Their published proposals provide grounds for comparison, but do not establish attendance at a vote center, an early-voting appearance or a ballot-return location. No winner is declared in this report.
Sources: Poway’s official election information; Vaus’ campaign priorities; Maeda’s official campaign; Olps’ official campaign.
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