The Republican Party of Orange County honored Auditor-Controller Andrew Hamilton as its County Elected Official of the Year at the annual Elected Officials Awards Reception, held Thursday evening at the Irvine Marriott.

OCGOP Chairman Will O'Neill announced the recognition, calling Hamilton a model of conservative governance at the county level.

"Since 2023, Andrew Hamilton has been committed to taxpayer protection, transparency, and accountable government spending," O'Neill said. "His accomplishments are respected across party lines."

That last point is backed up by the 2026 election calendar: no candidate filed to challenge Hamilton for his seat, meaning he will be returned to office without a contested race this June.

Hamilton was first elected in 2022 as the county's 11th independently elected Auditor-Controller. A Certified Public Accountant with nearly 35 years of public and private sector experience, he leads an office of more than 400 professionals responsible for payroll processing for over 18,000 county employees, vendor payments, property tax administration, and financial oversight across county departments. Before taking office, he served as a city finance director, a water district CFO, a member of the Lake Forest City Council, and in accounting roles at Fortune 500 companies.

Among his most visible recent initiatives is ocunclaimed.gov, a searchable public portal launched in October 2025. The site helps Orange County residents locate and claim their share of more than $700 million in state-held unclaimed property. Users can search by name and city, then follow a link to the state's official claims process. Hamilton's office also offers free notarization for claims over $1,000.

Hamilton was named one of the OC Register's 125 Most Influential People in Orange County for 2025.

The annual awards reception recognizes Republican local elected officials for their service, dedication, and conservative leadership. This year's event was held at the Irvine Marriott on Von Karman Avenue.