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David Poll has taken a narrow lead over Brandon Stroy in the neck-and-neck race for the third seat on the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees, with just 135 votes separating the two candidates, according to the most recent set of ballot returns.
Ever since the initial results dropped on Election Night, incumbents Bryan Johnson and Shali Sirkay have been comfortably in the lead, while the margin has been razor-thin between Poll and Stroy for the final seat.
As of 4:50 p.m. Saturday, Poll sat at 23.08% (7,282 votes) while Stroy was just behind with 22.65% (7,147 votes). Johnson and Sirkay received 28.11% (8,871 votes) and 26.14% (8,248 votes), respectively.
“This race is still very close and the county is still counting ballots, so I’m hopeful but waiting for the final count like everyone else,” Poll told the Voice in an email earlier on Saturday. “I’m grateful to everyone who voted, and to the volunteers, teachers, and neighbors who knocked on doors and talked with their friends about this race.”
Stroy echoed Poll’s hesitancy and said he didn’t want to form a firm opinion on who won until all ballots are in. According to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, there are still an estimated 224,400 unprocessed ballots across the county as of 5 p.m. Nov. 7.
Three seats on the Los Altos School District’s five-member board were up for election this year. Stroy told the Voice in an emailed statement that he wasn’t too surprised by the fact that he and Poll were neck-and-neck. To voters, Stroy said that both candidates appear relatively new to the school district scene.
Stroy was appointed to the school board in March after trustee Vladimir Ivanovic stepped down mid-term, but this is his first election. It’s also Poll’s first time running for elected office.
“I don’t view the results as a referendum on my record as a board member because I haven’t really had an opportunity to create one,” Stroy said. “Instead, I think voters are trying to decide between two people with whom they are relatively unfamiliar based on limited information.”
Despite the uncertainty related to who will fill the final school board seat, Stroy said he’s “thrilled” that Johnson and Sirkay appear likely to maintain their spots on the board.
“Regardless of how it comes out between David and me, keeping Shali and Bryan on the board is undoubtedly the best result for LASD,” Stroy said. “Their wealth of experience and knowledge is unmatched and it would have been a huge loss for the board to have to say goodbye to either of them.”
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Newcomer David Poll pulls ahead of Brandon Stroy in Los Altos school board raceNovember 7, 2026 4:17 pm