Curtis defends himself as Shasta board takes second look at alleged election misconduct
Last month, Shasta’s election official was accused by some of campaigning on county property. Today the election official defended himself while repeating the claim that former officials — including his campaign opponent — committed election fraud. He’s provided no evidence.
“There was ballot stuffing,” Shasta Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis told the county board today.
He was repeating a claim he made during a recent election office tour for California gubernatorial candidates, when he alleged that former election officials, including his campaign opponent, were guilty of criminal fraud. Some community members have decried those statements as campaigning on county property — something forbidden by both county policy and state law. But Curtis said today he wasn’t campaigning because he was “just stating what was true.”
He has shared no documentation to back his claim that former election officials —including Joanna Francescut who is running against him for the ROV position this June — engaged in what Curtis has referred to as “ballot stuffing,” or counting more ballots than were actually cast, to sway election results.
Francescut, along with former ROVs Cathy Darling Allen and Tom Toller have all emphatically denied Curtis’ claims of election misconduct. In November, Francescut told Shasta Scout such claims were “patently false and completely unacceptable” adding that “any allegation of elections mismanagement under my watch was politically motivated and judiciously tossed from court,” a reference to two failed lawsuits by Laura Hobbs, an activist who’s now been hired by Curtis.
Nevertheless, Curtis says he’s reported the matter to federal officials in hopes of prosecution. Today he mentioned that he’s also reported the issue to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, noting that officials there didn’t take action.
“They said, ‘yea things are bad but there’s nothing we can do,” Curtis claimed. Shasta Scout has reached out to the sheriff for comment and is pending a response.
Curtis added that he’s also attempted to involve the FBI, urging federal law enforcement to “get the records just like they did in Georgia.” It was a reference to an FBI raid of a county election office near Atlanta last month, in which agents seized documents related to the 2020 election. The search came a week after President Donald Trump repeated claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him.
The board had already discussed the statements made by Curtis during his tour, but the issue was brought back to the board today to ensure public comment, something that was not allowed at the last meeting. Officials claimed at the time that because the topic was a “no vote” item, no public comments had to be heard.
The declaration triggered cries of disapproval from the audience, who sent subsequent emails demanding the board correct its apparent violation of a California transparency law known as the Brown Act, which requires that public comment be heard on all items on the board’s regular agenda.
Today Chair Chris Kelstrom briefly acknowledged that he should have allowed public comments last time before welcoming more than 20 speakers to come forward and share their perspectives.
Curtis’ critics continued to claim that his actions amounted to campaigning on county property. Fourth-generation farmer Jeff Carr attended the gubernatorial tour last month where he probed Curtis in response to his original ballot-stuffing allegations. He used his remarks today to call for the ROV to be censured, or publicly rebuked, by supervisors.
“We’ve seen this all before,” Carr said. “Outsiders come in to show us how it’s done. They bring their big city ideas … a Florida carpetbagger who dazzled this board with his snake oil. He sold you all with his disarming smile, his conciliatory words, and you bought it.
“I’ve been in barnyards long enough to know what I’m seeing in the ROV office,” Carr continued. “It smells and now it’s stuck to your boots. You appointed a man who’s a defamer, a liar, a carpetbagger. Clean your boots! Censure Clint Curtis.”
Meanwhile Curtis’ supporters shared their perspective on who was allegedly campaigning , claiming that Supervisor Allen Long was trying to rally support for Curtis’ opponent, Francescut, when he brought up his concerns with Curtis at the last board meeting.
“God help me. I look at you and I see the devil, Mr. Long,” said community member Kim Moore, describing Long’s concerns about Curtis’ action as “despicable.”
“He did a good job,” she added of Curtis’ work at the last election, “and anybody who has a problem with it can go suck on a rock, because he’s made our elections free, fair and honest.”
After hearing from the public, supervisors discussed the allegations against Curtis again, but only briefly.
At the last meeting, the county’s attorney, Joseph Larmour, claimed that Curtis’ allegations against former election staff were minimal and “incidental,” minimizing the legal impact of the ROV’s remarks. As the board rediscussed the matter today, Long said he had learned through local media that Larmour’s statements were inaccurate.
Long asked if attorney Larmour could again opine about the legality of Curtis’ statements, now that reporting about an audio recording of the tour, has shown Curtis’ remarks to be more substantial.
In response, County Counsel Joe Larmour said if the board wanted a full investigation of statements made on the tour, they’d have to hire outside counsel so that witnesses could be called and recordings reviewed. The process, Larmour claimed, would likely take 9-12 months.
Supervisors did not discuss the matter further.
Speaking to Shasta Scout after the meeting, Plummer said his decision not to pursue the matter further came down to the risk vs benefit of pursuing legal action against a current political candidate. Citing how the prosecution of Trump may have actually contributed to his success in the 2024 election, Plummer said taking legal steps against a political candidate carries the dual risks of either harming their chances at election, or alternatively creating a victim narrative that might create an advantage.
Either way, he said, if he was convinced Curtis had committed a crime, he would have wanted to ensure that he was held accountable. But given that he sees Curtis’ statements at the election office as something of a gray area, he didn’t want to take the matter further.
“I think it’s better to let it play out with voters,” Plummer said.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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Hey Nick, several people have called you out on your comments. Why the sudden silence?
Hopefully my statement to the board is recognized. With education regarding election software and best practices. Shasta County can take a leadership position advocating for open source / paper ballot systems. This will place Shasta at the forefront of the effort to secure United States elections and allow for quality control in the future
Uh…Mr T., we already have a paper ballot system…
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We’ve had one for …decades now?
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You’re not inspiring a lot of confidence in local voters with your comments…
Obviously we have paper ballot systems – which I championed years back. You should Google me and the word “elections “
This was a reference to the necessity of OPEN SOURCE / paper ballot systems. Please ordinance previous typos
Take your recommendations to our conservative representatives, Megan Dahle or Heather Hadwick. They can sponsor a bill to change California election laws. You, Curtis, Hobbs, Gallardo and the rest of the clan know election laws do not evolve from the county level up, but from the State level down. We always and only use paper ballots, do not use voting machines except for the disabled and always use hand counting to audit the machine tabulator’s count. In the last election, Curtis only used a couple of ballots from a very small precinct for the hand count audit to verify the tabulator results. If you were really concerned about the integrity of our tallying systems, you would have strongly recommended your boss Curtis increase the number of precincts used in the hand counting audit to several hundred minimum, or over one thousand, but apparently you trust the machines to deliver an accurate count.
Carr continued. “It smells and now it’s stuck to your boots. You appointed a man who’s a defamer, a liar, a carpetbagger. Clean your boots! Censure Clint Curtis.”
I love this town. I have the best time ever here. I don’t care if you’re a Dem, or GOP, what you look like, what you eat, who you love, how you dress, or what you drive.
I WANT HONESTY AND THE SUNSHINE TO BLAST AWAY THE LIES AND DECEPTION
sorry bout the caps.
Joanna- why is the LA Times here doing a story? Why were they following you and your family around at Fratelli’s? It almost looked like they were filming a campaign advertisement, but that’s just my opinion and impression as a witness of the charade.
I’m curious if the LA Times has interviewed any other public figures?
PS: Shout out to Fratelli’s and that draft root beer 🍻
Do you really feel that Mr Curtis is the one to blast away lies and deception?
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For heaven’s sake, why?
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Honestly, why?
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If you actually understand his plan and vision, it would actually open up more security and chain of custody issues then we had previously.
Tell you what, why don’t you ask him for the entire WRITTEN plan of how he envisions elections. With actual steps, processes, and procedures for how it should be done. If somehow you manage to get a written plan from him, and read it, you will see some very obvious flaws and security issues with his plans.
Mr Curtis himself would rather you DON’T have a written plan, because he likes to throw out his word salad to everybody and not give clear concise answers. Like any grifter, he would love to TALK to you about it, so that he can distract you with other things and never give you a direct answer.
He’ll verbally give you an answer one day, and if you ask him again a week later he’ll tell you something different. There’s a reason why he doesn’t like to put his plans in writing. And it’s not because he’s the most honest and transparent person you’ve ever met in your life.
But hey man, test this out yourself.
Be very concerned. Understand Clint Curtis is being fed information from Trump’s administration, as well as all the Douglas Farm – Mike Lendel wackos 24/7. Today during a nation widee meeting with State Election Officials, the trump administration refused to say that states have sovereign constitutional rights to run the elections. Yesterday, trump again demanded nationalization of all voting in the United States. This is called fascism. I believe Curtis and his little band of MAGA are on the edge of messing with Shasta County elections in a big way.
Mr. Carr nailed it. My prediction: Mr. Curtis will use his currently position to get as much publicity—good or bad—as possible. Then—I guarantee—he will run for office elsewhere: He doesn’t want to be ROV for Shasta Countu. He certainly doesn’t have the background. He wants to figure out a way into MAGA politics. Fine. Go for it. BUT; Shasta County will be left with an ever increasing bag of dung to deal stemming from this loose cannon. And: Not a lawyer, but I feel like County Counsel could give…well…actual counsel on the implications of what’s heard in the recording of Curtis. That’s his job, right? Or no? Stating a full investigation is needed seems weird to me—just doesn’t make horse sense. Well, all in all we have slandering people or accusing them of crimes (repeatedly), openly stating you hired someone for their political beliefs (an “ally”) not their skill set—just be quiet, because MY tax dollars are going to pay for YOUR lawsuits. I’m very much not okay with that. Quietly and professionally do your job, and hire experts to help you. I’m voting for the person who actually can do that, and it’s not Florida Curtis.
Lamour suggesting that a lengthy, expensive investigation is necessary is his way to shield his buddy Crye from having to do what is called for, a censure, vote of no confidence and request he resign immediately.
The County messed up in three ways. Curtis accused his election opponent of election crimes. He offers no proof other than 8-10 eyewitness claims. Until those claims undergo cross examination in court before a judge and jury, they are worthless, no better than gossip. These accusations could make Curtis look good while making Francescut look bad; they were illegal campaigning on County time and property. Lamour first said everything was proper, based on an unbelievably brief review of the evidence. Now he says a complete reviews might take 9-12 months. Kelstrom first said that the public had no right to comment. After public complaint, he acknowledged the public’s right to comment. Lamour and Kelstrom each made a mistake: I understand that. Curtis is simply a liar!
Public confidence in elections is not sustained by assurances alone; it is preserved through adherence to law, professional restraint, and institutional accountability. When the chief elections officer of a county becomes the subject of repeated public controversy—particularly involving allegations of misconduct, politicized statements, or deviation from established norms—the issue ceases to be personal and becomes structural. At that point, democratic governance demands an independent response, not silence or internal rationalization.
Recent public proceedings involving Clint Curtis, including formal discussion by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, have underscored a troubling pattern: serious claims raised in official contexts, contested interpretations of permissible conduct, and unresolved questions about compliance with California election law and county policy. Whether or not any allegation is ultimately substantiated is not the threshold issue. The issue is that the normal safeguards of credibility and neutrality—essential to the office of Registrar of Voters—appear to be under strain.
Under California law, election officials occupy a uniquely sensitive position. The Elections Code, the Political Reform Act, and county administrative policies impose strict limits on political activity, use of public resources, and public communications. When an official repeatedly invokes unverified allegations, engages in conduct perceived as partisan, or prompts public rebuke and procedural concern, the legal risk extends beyond the individual. It implicates the county itself—exposing it to reputational harm, administrative dysfunction, and potential litigation grounded in due process, misuse of office, or violation of open-government principles such as the Brown Act.
In such circumstances, AN INDEPENDENT, NON-PARTISAN INVESTIGATING PANEL IS NOT AN ACT OF HOSTILITY; IT IS AN ACT OF INSTITUTIONAL SELF-PRESERVATION. Properly constituted, such a panel would have no prosecutorial authority, no disciplinary mandate, and no political agenda. Its purpose would be limited and lawful: to review conduct, policies, and procedures; assess compliance with state and county law; and issue findings and recommendations in a public, transparent manner. This model is well established in California governance and serves to depersonalize controversy while restoring public trust.
If elected, Joanna Francescut would inherit not only an office, but a credibility challenge created before her tenure. While she would not unilaterally control the creation of such a panel, she could appropriately encourage the Board of Supervisors to consider it as a matter of good governance. Supporting an independent review would not signal bias or retribution; it would demonstrate fidelity to the rule of law, respect for due process, and commitment to professional election administration insulated from individual controversy.
Ultimately, the question facing Shasta County is not whether one official is right or wrong. It is whether the county is willing to apply the same standards of accountability to its elections office that it demands of voters, candidates, and public servants alike. When confidence in democratic administration falters, independence is not optional—it is essential. An independent investigation panel offers a lawful, measured, and urgently needed path forward, and any future Clerk-Registrar who values institutional integrity should be prepared to support it.
Our independent non-partisan investigation process already exists. It’s called the hand counting audit to audit. Clearly you don’t understand the many checks and balances incorporated into our election system that keep fraud to a bare minimum. Most common fraud is over voting, which is easily detected by the safeguards we use to make sure no one votes twice. You and your election denier friends have had many opportunities to prove your conspiracy theories but have always failed in a court of law due to woeful lack of evidence. Just because you repeat ad nauseam there is rampant voter fraud does not make it so. Intelligent people do not believe the Big Lie as you do.
If the local elections were fraudulent, perhaps we should immediately hold a special election for all the board positions and the ROV? No? Just more tantrums and wasted tax dollars?
As a registered Republican and longtime resident of Shasta County I am not happy with Mr Curtis either. I hope he and certain members of the board realize they do not speak for all Shasta County Republicans. I have never understood the cries of election fraud here. And to continually make accusations with no proof of evidence is disingenuous to say the least. To me it seems like nothing more than unnecessary small town political drama. I for one will be voting for experience over drama. I will be voting for Joanna Francescutt!
This becomes exhausting. Listening to constant whining from MAGA is akin to a broken record. Show me the proof!! But, nooooo, they will just complain.
I do not trust Shasta County with my vote with our current board and grifter, Curtis.
Rather than let it tire us out, we have to stand up for our right for a fair and accurate election.
FIGHT BACK!!!
Curtis claims there was criminal fraud—ballot stuffing—committed by his predecessor. This by a man who has publicly claimed he once wrote a computer program that surreptitiously changed vote totals in a computerized election program. Sounds like game knows game. Of course, he never produced that program for inspection. No more than he has produced any hard evidence of ballot stuffing here in Shasta County. If we are to take him at his word, however, how are we to know he’s not committing the same felony fraud with the voting machines here that he brags about having committed back east?
So if what Curtis is saying is true about ballot stuffing, then perhaps Crye, Kelstrom, Jones, and others were not actually elected and Moty wasn’t recalled. I don’t get it, their far right won, even Trump won in Shasta County, and they still cry voter fraud and “stuffing the ballot. With them in charge I don’t trust anything they say or do.
Matt Plummer does make a reasoned point to let the public decide this matter. The danger is that MAGA are ruthless in lying and playing any deceptive game that will keep them in power and our general populace are so distracted by every day demands they don’t want to give attention to, ‘politics’. As the election gets closer the public will get to know the vast differences of qualifications and character between Curtis and Francescut and correct our MAGA election nightmare by electing Joanna Francescut in a landslide.
Supervisor Plummer had an opportunity to investigate the clear misconduct of Clint Curtis and he choose not to for “political reasons”. Those were his own words. It is interesting to know that he makes his decisions based not on right or wrong but based on politics.
I swear, the election deniers are like a bunch of little kids throwing temper tantrums.
“Nuh-uh, Mr Curtis wasn’t electioneering, it was you! Mr Long is the one really electioneering!”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“I can’t hear you, lalalala…”
“Nuh-uh, Go suck rocks!”
LMAO, you can’t even make this stuff up. It’s just so sad and darkly hilarious.
So he STILL hasn’t reported it to the California Secretary of State, the one entity he should have reported it to first.
Most likely because he doesn’t have ANY type of evidence and he just wants to bad mouth his opponent.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there are actual election deniers working in our local elections department. If there was any actual evidence of election fraud or malfeasance, then where is it?? Why haven’t they found it?
And I’m talking about good solid evidence. All they have right now is slander and false accusations because they have NOTHING else.
You can only cry ‘wolf’ so many times before people know that you’re full of it.
Time to put up or shut up.
Allegations of voting fraud in the ROV office are a serious matter. The fact that those allegations haven’t been pursued shows disrespect to the voters and dereliction of duty. Or, perhaps they are nothing more than a smear campaign.
Either way, we need to know.
“Fourth-generation farmer Jeff Carr attended the gubernatorial tour last month where he probed Curtis in response to his original ballot-stuffing allegations. He used his remarks today to call for the ROV to be censured, or publicly rebuked, by supervisors.
“We’ve seen this all before,” Carr said. “Outsiders come in to show us how it’s done. They bring their big city ideas” —or many multi generational conservative families send their little boy off to college and he comes back a liberal.
“You appointed a man who’s a defamer, a liar, a carpetbagger.”—Really? I provided 8 or 10 names of eye witnesses who observes misconduct in past elections. Eye Witnesses! and you provide only an opinion.
Guess what Nick? You and the other election deniers want to believe in election fraud and misconduct so badly that you are brainwashing yourselves into believing you see that, even when nothing could be further from the truth.
You election deniers had predetermined what was going on in the election’s office before you had even set foot into the building. And anything that you don’t understand (and oh boy, there’s a lot), you guys immediately call foul and make mountains out of mole hills.
Do you ever wonder why there isn’t any hard, concrete proof of the type of election fraud that you guys are claiming is happening? It’s because there is none.
I don’t know if you really believe in the Bible or not, but it does say that “thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” That’s exactly what your eyewitnesses are doing.
And by the way Nick, I also have the same amount of eyewitnesses, if not more, whose claims contradict yours. So I guess that an eye witness account is worth nothing in this matter, and it’s time to fall back up on hard concrete proof of your accusations.
So again, Nick, show some actual proof of evidence.
You provided a list of names, none of whom have actually produced any factual, tangible evidence that there was in fact fraud occurring in Shasta County. Where is the DATA!?!? From an outsiders perspective, none of the people you have listed have produced any kind of evidence. Just saying it doesn’t make it true. I say the sky is purple, therefore the sky is in fact purple!
Where were your eyewitnesses during the numerous election “fraud” trials? Where were they when the Grand Jury investigated the election office? You have zero proof and no evidence of anything and you know it. Stop drinking the Big Lie Koolaid, it’s making you delusional.
Isn’t it funny that when people like Nick are challenged directly, all of a sudden there is radio silence from them??
Huh, go figure…
Curtis came in to give his own little state of the union, based on lies, illegality, and distortion. Curtis even used his BOS time to campaign for the Hobbs Ballot Initiative and demand that the county defend Hobbs against the Jane Doe case, a Titanic headed for a multi-million dollar court case, paid for by Shasta County Taxpayers, that will lose as often as Hobbs has lost in the courts. After all, that’s what Crye, Corky, and Kelstrom put in office to do, be the MAGA tip of the spear to change the way the USA votes! Right Jones?
If you don’t think his little TAKE OUR CALIFORNIA BACK stunt was a permeditated, well-orchestrated MAGA political rally, using what is supposed to be a non-partisan office, taxpayers’ time, money, and resources, we understand, you’re most likely Trump Drunk, and unencumbered by reality.
Sadly, the majority of the BOS (whom Clint Curtis calls his idiots) seem okay with Curtis’ political stunts and using the ROV office as his personal campaign headquarters and MAGA platform. Perhaps they have been so inoculated by Crye and Jones before him, who have spent years lying and pimping Trumpin hogwash, that they’re just fine with their man Curtis and will protect him at all costs. In fact, Curtis and three supervisors live in their little MAGA bubble that seems to be shrinking as fast as Trump’s poll numbers.
BTW, Mr. Curtis, stop lying. No, the state of Georgia did not voluntarily hand over its constitutionally protected voter rolls to your leader, Trump, as you have repeatedly stated you have done.
Trump had his DOJ and FBI raid the elections office in Fulton County, Georgia, and the Republican State of Georga are suing him to get them back. That information belongs to the people of Georgia. And if you have given Trump protected Shasta County Voter information, while Crye, Corkey, and Kelstrom might applaud you for doing so, you are breaking the law unless there’s a court order giving you permission to do so, and the SCBOS is complicit in supporting your illegal activity. Show us the subpoena or court order, or give the people of Shasta County the information requested in over 4 CPRA requests over the last six months that you and Shasta County have stonewalled so far!
Tom Toller and Cathy Darling Allen should file a defamation suit against this clown. Force him to show proof or shut up.
Selah
Trying to pretend Joeanna didn’t run the ’22 and ’24 elections like she claimed?
As for proof , eye witnesses, Thomas Hilldebrand, Jim Burnett, Bruce Russell, Patric Jones, Laura Hobbs, Antonio, Bev. etc.
Eyewitnesses of what? What exactly did they witness Nick?
You do remember that there have been two court cases that have been thrown out due to profound lack of evidence?
You guys have nothing but slander and accusations.
Wait, you forgot all the Shasta Five and Hobbs….all thrown out of court for being pathetic jokesters whose unsubstantiated garbage was not admissible.
Give it a rest! There was absolutely zero evidence of any significant intentional voter fraud within Shasta County during any of the previous elections prior to the Curtis temporary BOS appointment as ROV.
The only issue was the random alpha order used on the ballot during the March 2024 primary. Our assistant ROV mistakenly completed a local alpha draw instead of following the state-mandated method of using the state random alpha draw results to assign the order in which candidates across the whole ballot were listed. The judges threw out relative unknown transplant Hobbs’ ridiculous lawsuit where she erroneously alleged that because her name was listed third instead of first for the district 2 BOS race, that cost her the opportunity to face Long in the general election. What a monumental waste of tax-payer money and time!
It sure is hypocritical to venomously try to argue for the necessity of local control of voting methods and in the same breath complain of voter fraud when state-mandated voting procedures are mistakenly not followed, such as using a local random alpha draw for candidate order on ballots vs using the one completed by the state!
Also, not one iota of proof has been offered for the ridiculous accusation that “ballot stuffing” has occurred in Shasta County to date! I spent several hours at the ROV office on November 4, 2025 observing the Curtis “dog and pony show” and was not impressed. In fact, for the first time ever in the 44 yrs that I have had the right to vote and exercised that right, I now have concerns about voter fraud and the integrity of our local elections!
Like every single person you named wouldn’t lie and the others would swear up and down it isn’t the truth.
Their say-so isn’t good enough. Bring us some real, tangible “Will hold up in court” evidence.
You can’t, because there isn’t any.
Not because it’s been destroyed, or removed or hidden.
Because it doesn’t exist.
And Toller, Darling-Allen and Francescut should ALL sue this carpetbagging snail oil selling schyster for his lies.
KWAKKERY @ ITS FINEST
Curtis and the other cult members fail to acknowledge that Shasta County falls under the jurisdiction of the State of California! As such Shasta County MUST follow the election LAWS put in place by said state. Even if this ludicrous ballot measure gets on the ballot and should pass . California law does not allow hand counting in counties with populations over 100,000. And same day voting would be a nightmare in a county our size. The last election had one initiative on it and this inept ROV couldn’t get it counted and recorded for a week! Clint Curtis should be removed from this position and all of the election deniers fired from the office!
You can hand-count, you just can’t send it in as the official, certified voting results.
In truth, they fail to recognize that voting falls under the jurisdiction of the state when it is convenient and helpful to their voter suppression agenda. In the case of the ridiculous Hobbs attempt to sue our ROV and county, they are hypocritically and erroneously arguing that because a local random alpha draw was used for the order in which all of the candidates across the ballot were listed instead of the one conducted by the state, somehow Hobbs who got a very small percentage of total votes, was robbed of her opportunity to face Long in the general election. These extremist, pseudo-patriots lack any ability to use logic or reasoning.