UPDATE (12:50 a.m.) – The final election night update shows Brown with 28,405 votes, Olmstead with 16,626 votes, and Hsueh with 7,465 votes. Ballot counting will continue on Wednesday morning.
UPDATE (11:20 p.m.) – The latest election night update shows Brown with 28,093 votes, Olmstead with 16,237 votes, and Hsueh with 7,436 votes.
That gives Brown 54 percent of the vote. He needs more than 50 percent to win the election.
Incumbent Bill Brown is leading in the race for Santa Barbara County Sheriff.
Early election night results show Brown with 55 percent of the vote with 56 of 196 precincts reporting at around 9:50 p.m. He needs more than 50 percent of the vote to win the election.
Brown faced two lieutenants from his own department, Brian Olmstead and Eddie Hsueh.
"We need to deal with our recruitment issues, we need to work with the community much closer and see what’s important to the community," Hsueh said. "I don’t think that’s been done over the last 12 years."
"I think that we need a new set of eyes on the department and how to serve the community," Olmstead said.
During the campaign, Brown said recruitment within the department is important to the sheriff’s office and the community.
Brown has served three terms as the Santa Barbara County sheriff.
