BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Residents of Ward 5 had the choice of voting between 3 different candidates –  Bruce Freeman, Ryan Nance and Noel Pineo – to fill the Ward 5 seat that was left vacant following the death of Councilman Jeff Tkac.

At this time, Freeman is the unofficial winner until all the votes are certified by the Elections Office.

The council could have appointed a City Council Member to replace Tkac. Instead, they decided on a special election to allow Ward 5 voters to decide for themselves.

With all 34 precincts reporting and 3,204 votes, Freeman received more than 62 percent of the vote. This makes him the projected winner.

Nance received 1,869 votes, earning him a little more than 32% of the vote.

Pineo received 267 votes, earning him 5% of the vote.

The final vote certification process can take several days.

23ABC will continue to track this election.