After chaotic last month, some concerns as Shasta elections official opens early voting
The Market Street elections office was busy with staff as early voting opened for the November election. Curtis said he’s ahead of the game, but observation indicates some steps remain to be completed.
Today, Shasta Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis confirmed that ballots are being mailed out by the printer, Runbeck Election Services.
There are no concerns or delays so far with the election process from his perspective, Curtis said. But observation at the election office indicates that some steps remain to be completed, including pre-election testing of tabulation machines.
Curtis has spent the last months engaged in activities that he hopes will draw federal attention to Shasta’s election process. In August he announced that he might hire former election official Tina Peters, who’s been convicted of felony election crimes. Last month, he spoke with FBI investigators before receiving a subpoena from the federal government. Most recently, he’s repeatedly delayed the routine shredding of 2024 ballots past state-mandated deadlines, finally overseeing their destruction over the weekend.
Upstairs at the elections office today, a staffer broke down boxes that held the 2024 ballots that were shredded yesterday, as an activist took pictures of the markings on each box. Curtis spoke to a reporter nearby, saying the drama of the last month, including the protest over shredding this weekend, hasn’t impacted preparedness for the November election.
“We’re early,” Curtis claimed. “We like to be ahead of the game.”
But a quick tour of the elections office indicated several concerns, including Curtis’ failure to set up all three accessible voting machines prior to the opening of the polls. At least some of those machines were still being set up when a reporter arrived at the elections office to observe around 9 a.m. an hour after the polling place opened.
“No one ever uses them,” Curtis said, in response to questions.
Standard voting machine testing that’s required by law to occur seven days before the election had also just begun this morning and was still in process as of this afternoon. That includes what’s known as the test deck, which is used to ensure that tabulation machines are set up to count the votes on ballots correctly and has not yet been tested.
The Secretary of State’s office said this evening that the state has not yet received Shasta’s Logic and Accuracy Testing form, noting a memo from Secretary of State Shirley Weber that provides a copy of the form and specifies when it’s due.
Since logic and accuracy testing is an observable activity under state law, Shasta was also required to post notices about the dates of the testing process both in person and online. The in-person notice posted at the Market Street office today indicated that testing would begin next week on Oct. 9 while the online version said it had begun on Oct. 2. Both were wrong, elections staffer David Wylie noted today in response to questions, asking Shasta Scout not to be too hard on staff.
“We’ve got a lot going on,” Wylie said. “We’re just trying to pull it together and do our best.”
As of 9 a.m. the office had seen only one voter, the same individual that has arrived first to vote every year for decades.
“He is dedicated to being the first guy in the door,” Curtis said, noting that the community member had arrived at 7:30 with family members. “And he is nice.”
Voting will continue through November 3, when other polling places will open across the county. Community members can also vote by mail or drop their vote-by-mail ballot in any of the county’s four drop boxes through 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Oct. 5 at 6 p.m.: We have updated the story to include comment from the state.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
Author
Comments (27)
Leave a comment
Related Articles
Grief as a community bridge during Día de los Muertos event in Siskiyou
Leaders from two grassroots groups, Latino Outdoors and Seeds of Ancestral Renewal, came together last Friday with the help of Siskiyou County Arts Council for the second annual community celebration of Día de los Muertos.
Community members speak out during tense mental health advisory board meeting
Those impacted by the withdrawal of Kings View services shared concerns during a mental health advisory board meeting last week, saying the closure of a local mental health drop-in center had left gaps in care. Board members also navigated a number of other tense moments during the meeting.
Redding high school students call for tobacco ordinance enforcement
Students called on the Redding City Council to follow through on enforcement of a tobacco ordinance passed last year. Doing so, they said, would help address Shasta County’s high rate of teen tobacco use.
What about mail-in ballots?
By law, they’re supposed to be mailed by Oct. 1.
It’s Oct. 7 as I write this, and we still haven’t gotten them.
Ballots were to be mailed Oct. 5.
BallotTrax emailed me on October 5, 2026 at 10:47AM, “This is a message from the California Secretary of State on behalf of Shasta County Elections. Your ballot for the upcoming November 3, 2026, General Election has been mailed to you. If you haven’t received your ballot within 7 business days, please contact us.”
I guess that means it was supposedly performed. Fingers crossed!
By law ballots must be sent out no later than 29 days before the election date.
If you previously included your email to be notified when your ballot was mailed to you, you would have received an email on the 5th from the California Secretary of State that your ballot was sent. It takes our wonderful US Postal Service two to three days to get mail to Redding.
Remember to drop your ballot in a drop box, take to your precinct on elecion day or mail at least a day before election day to ensure your vote will be counted. There is no guarantee that your ballot dropped off at the post office on election day will be postmarked on election day.
Once your mailed ballot is received and processed by the ROV (usually 2-4 days?) the Secretary of State will send you an email letting you know your ballot was received.
You get an email ONLY if you include your email with the ballot.
If you don’t receive your ballot by Friday I would go by the election office. Be civil. They have a job just like you. The people at the counter do not run the place.
Correct me or clarify the above if it’s incorrect.
All elections are important. This one seems more. Fully fill in the boxes, use the right ink, read the instructions. Vote early!
Pay the dollar to the Washington Post just to read the comments on the article about the ROV and Shasta County, comedy for a buck, great!
Keep on with the idiots running the county!!!!
Between the Board of Stupidvisors and the “Secret”ary of State there appears to be no oversite or accountability directed toward the smarmy, shit eating grinning Curtis. No penalties or any enforcement for previous and continuing dereliction of duty and what appears to be violation of state law. WTF, is Shasta County somehow exempt from mandatory deadlines and applicable voting regulation, as the saying goes give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. I fear the office is full of those who would go the distance.
I worked at a polling station during the primary. Accessible voting machines DO GET USED!
Does anyone know if the State is overseeing this election? WP ran an article that trump has met with Tina Peters about how to mess with this election. Are there any safeguards in place to assure a free and fair election?
One safeguard we can all take advantage of is signing up for ballot tracking at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov. This tool will notify you when your ballot is mailed and when Election Office receives your ballot back for tabulation. Be sure to put correct contact information on return envelope so election staff can contact you if your ballot has a problem that needs to be cured. This includes missing or rejected signature, damaged ballot, or mismarked ballot.
It is important to remember those responsible for putting this delusional incompetent in charge of Shasta County elections. Kevin Crye, Chris Kelstrom and Corkey Harmon have prioritized the ‘MAGA agenda’ over their responsibilities to our county and the results are on full display.
Here here Randy!
“Standard voting machine testing that’s required by law to occur seven days before the election had also just begun this morning and was still in process as of this afternoon.”
.
“We’re early,” Curtis claimed. “We like to be ahead of the game.”
.
What a stupidly grinning baboon. What an absolute gold-plated rectal orifice. What an incompetent, lying grifter. I say again: The BOS should ban this dipshit from County buildings and change the locks on the ROV’s office.
Such arrogance and disregard for required procedures! And Curtis is allowing that first of voters who “hardly ever use those machines” to vote on an untested machine?
This cavalier attitude about our election processes is a flagrant and unacceptable violation of the public trust.
We expect and demand adherence to law and procedure; the Shasta County BOS obviously doesn’t agree enforce to its oversight responsibility.
It’s arrogance, true, but not just arrogance. It’s also laziness, dishonesty, incompetence, and stupidity.
.
It’ll be a miracle if this election comes off without a major unintentional gaffe under our ROV’s amateurish command, and unsurprising if it gets intentionally monkey-wrenched from the inside by Curtis and his election-fabulist goon squad.
We’re off to a good start. My Voter Information Guide arrived a few days ago, and it’s a hot mess. Check the boxes next to lazy, incompetent, and stupid.
Wait.
The guy who wanted to set up special cameras to watch the ballots go by because he and his people don’t trust the machines … has not tested the machines?
Seems important especially to them!
But I guess if nefarious forces are involved, doing the work is just a show you’d put on. Or something.
Thank you Shasta Scout for staying on top of this story. It’s amazing reporting. It’s also amazing that we citizens have to deal with this absolute clown car chaos that could could even be illegal. I do hope the First Amendment Coalition leads to a court action or to the disclosure of all the information asked for.
.
The citizens are being kept in the dark not only by Clint Curtis and his staff but by the supervisors as well. Shasta County has been turned upside down by these MAGA extremists!
The fact that he has zero concern for the disabled population of our County being able to vote! This man is a wart on Shasta Counties proverbial ass, brought to us by Kevin Crye, Chris Kelstrom and Corky Harmon, with Patrick Jones in the background orchestrating it all! These 4 men have done more harm to Shasta County than any other Supervisors in my memory!
I never seen so much B.S. in my life ! I been voting for 40 yrs in this county ! Why all this Drama crap . Its never ending ! CHAOS ! Is the new thing i guess . Si h a waste of time and money on such bullshit !
Bravo. When Redding hits the national news as being corrupt it is a blight on all the rest of us who are against all of this nonsense
We’ve been showing up in the national news for months and never for anything good. Even Rachel Maddow (sp?) spoke briefly about Shasta County and Curtis a week or so ago. It’s all SO STUPID.
In regards to the three accessible voting machines not being set up yet: “No one ever uses them,” Curtis said, in response to questions.
.
Says it all, doesn’t it? We have an ROV who doesn’t care whether some people have an opportunity to vote or not.
I fully understand and support the principle of accessible voting for all.
And also, Mr. Curtis is right about that. Those machines get close to zero use. Ask any poll worker.
Totally missing the point. It’s about his nonchalance and lack of empathy.
.
Also, close to zero isn’t zero.
I’m disabled and if I could, I’d be down there today demanding they open the machines! Of course I’m not sure my vote will be counted.
The fuck is wrong with people? I don’t care if those stations get little used, or not at all. State law mandates that they be available to the disabled who want to vote in person. Curtis doesn’t get to unilaterally decide which state laws are to be honored, and which to ignore. He’s the County ROV, not the Obergruppenführer der Whalen.
.
Don’t provide comfort in any form to this grinning scofflaw.
“unilaterally decide(ing) which state laws are to be honored, and which to ignore” is exactly what Curtis is doing and is exactly what he was hired to do by
Kelstrom, Korkey and Krye.
Scorched Earth brought to you by
the Keystone KKK.
AKA: The local reach-around of Circlejerk 2025/agenda 47.