Two Weeks Before General Election, Shasta Elections Commission Continues to Sow Misinformation and Uncertainty
During a three-hour meeting, Commissioners heard a presentation from an engineer turned election data hobbyist, briefly considered appointing “election judges” under their own definition of the term, and voted to take action on concerns brought forward by the Shasta County leader of a state-wide secessionist movement.
On Tuesday, October 21, Shasta County Elections Commissioners held their last meeting before the November 5 presidential election.
The topics they discussed as part of their formal agenda continued to sow doubt and uncertainty regarding Shasta County’s election process, despite lacking any concrete data or evidence to justify such mistrust.
During a presentation early on in the meeting, Steve Umfleet, a chemical and computer engineer with a background in DNA and biometrics, shared his amateur analysis of audit log data from the March primary.
“Shasta County is a beacon of hope to the rest of California,” Umfleet began, “because of your willingness to . . . decouple your elections from centralized state control.”
While a few Elections Commissioners and a small number of vocal community members wish to decouple elections from centralized state control, a majority of the county, including the current County Board majority and the County registrar of voters, have not acted on their repeated requests to do so.
Umfleet’s presentation build on the same information he shared on the stand during supervisorial candidate Laura Hobbs’ failed lawsuit against the Shasta County Elections Office in June 2024. During the hearing for that case, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Stephen Baker noted Umfleet’s lack of credentials related to analysis of election data, asking why Umfleet’s opinion on audit logs should carry any more weight than that of the “paper boy down the street,”
Nevertheless, the Commission spent an hour on Umfleet’s presentation, which did not provide any substantive data to back any real allegations. After the presentation, Umfleet told Commissioners that there could be legitimate explanation for at least some of his concerns about the data and acknowledged that he has yet to even discuss those concerns with the Shasta County Registrar of Voters.
Next up was a consideration of whether to ask the County Board to approve the implementation of “citizen election judges” by November 5. These “judges” would essentially serve as an external third party supervising the work of both volunteers and staff in the elections office and polling places.
The draft recommendation read that, “Judges of elections should be assigned the same authority as election office staff, including full access to all areas staff are allowed and all areas where ballots are located.”
County Counsel advised against passing the recommendation as written, saying while the term “election judge” remains in the law, it was made obsolete after significant changes to election law in 2002 took out the definition of the term. Since the law no longer defines the role that term describes, Counsel said, Shasta County must carefully consider all relevant election law before choosing its own definition for the term to avoid deputizing private citizens with authority that state law grants only to election staff.
“There was legislation in 2002, SB 1019, which updated several hundred codes and it essentially left the term ‘election judges’, but removed the definition of ‘election judges’ that had been there at prior times,” Attorney Joseph Larmour said.
“And so what the Commission has done (in this recommendation) . . . is put duties in for election judges (that are not in the law). We need to go back and determine from the elections code . . . who can handle ballots, who can do each one of those things that we’re talking about to make sure it’s not prevented by elections code.”
Commissioner Margaret Hansen said she and Commissioner Patty Plumb were already aware of this significan legal issue when they decided to present the draft recommendation for potential approval anyway, two weeks before a general election, “for transparency and integrity for the public to know what we’re working on.”
Activist Hobbs spoke up in support of the idea of election judges claiming that Shasta County can define the term however it wishes. She said the role would help prevent discrimination against potential poll workers, just before assuring the chambers that she can determine election staff’s personal political beliefs from their physical appearance alone.
“If you look in that office,” Hobbs said, “you can tell that most of them, I would say, 75% of them — just by looking – are liberal. They have wild hair colors or whatever . . . “
The Commission ultimately voted to table the “election judge” item, pending additional changes to the recommendation.
Moving on, the Commissioners once again discussed the issue of electronic poll pads, the system used to check in voters at polling places on election day. They speculated as to what might happen if the power went out during an election and Plumb said that despite her best efforts at researching she still had no idea.
“In my research of trying to determine whether we have a paper backup plan,” Plumb said “it still became unclear and still ambiguous, what is our status.”
The Shasta County Elections Office clearly addresses the issue in its readily-available poll worker manual, stating that if electronic poll pads are not syncing or do not have power, poll workers should call the Shasta County Elections hotline to process voters before having them sign in on a paper street roster. Shasta Scout observed poll workers using the hotline and street roster system during the March 5 primary when intermittent disruptions of electronic poll pad services occurred.
Considered next by the Commission, potential issues with AB 969, a state law passed last year to respond to attempts to hand count elections in Shasta County. Plumb, who brought those concerns forward, did not mention that she and others from a secessionist movement known as New California State issued a legal demand to County supervisors last week, telling them not to certify the November election.
She also failed to mention her decision to openly campaign against Supervisor Mary Rickert during that same public forum.
Instead, Plumb demurely closed with these lines.
“So on the 15th of October, I did meet briefly with Patrick Jones in the back of the board chambers here and discuss the current voting system and lack of qualification for certification. This concludes my report. Thank you.”
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
Author
Comments (34)
Comments are closed.
Related Articles
United Way releases community report after almost 30 listening sessions and $650,000 in funding
The report is a result of the nonprofit’s Building Bridges Initiative, which aims to converse with community members to find ways to bridge divides. “What we heard was honest, and some of it was hard,” United Way’s director said.
Shasta’s ballot and Voter Information Guide contain numerous typos, at least one of which could decrease voter access
The typos include extra or missing words and a number of misspellings, as well as incorrect dates, including an error related to when mail-in ballots are supposed to be received by the elections office.
More than a quarter of donations to Kevin Crye’s re-election campaign are from outside Shasta, records show
A substantial portion of the current Shasta District 1 supervisor’s donors are from outside the county. His main competitor, Redding City Council member Erin Resner, has received only a handful of out-of-county donations. Richard Gallardo, the third candidate in the race, trails significantly in donations.
“Wild hair colors,” wow. If that’s the mark of a liberal, We have quite a few here in Shasta County
Excellent Reporting. You have exposed, with grace, the true nature of the totally unnecessary Shasta Election Commission. Thank you Annelise for the work you do.
Since the so-called Election Commission is finished for the year, I guess that means they’re finished for good. Since Mary Rickert will win and it will be disbanded, thus saving the county more funds. Question for Ms. Plumb, are you for real, or are you an AI ? I’m serious.
Several more Election Commission meetings are scheduled for the remainder of the year, the next one set for November 4th. It may be cancelled. IMHO, others may be cancelled depending on who wins or loses the presidential election.
Frank, AI would be logical, so we can rule that one at out !
And the beat goes on. “It is rigged.” “No it isn’t.” “Yes it is.” “No it isn’t” “We have an expert.” “He is a kook.” “We have an Election Commission.” “They are a sham with no real authority that is just stirring the election pot.” “We will defy the state laws because we know better.” “Another losing lawsuit for taxpayers.” “We want free and elections.” “We had them then the BOS majority selected an inexperienced crony and who knows what he will do…” “We want election judges.” “Poll watchers to intimidate voters.” And the beat goes on.
Our community torn apart. Why? And when will the healing start? We voted our way into this division and have the leadership we voted for in fair elections. Now as we approach our next election no one can be certain of the fairness as we squabble over how it is administered, counted and certified. Is that what we want – more division?
I suppose we will find out if we prefer chaos to cooperation and division to unity by the middle of next month.
out of curiosity, i tried to look up who is funding rose penelope yee for congress. found out (lassen county news) that cathy darling allen is co-chair of her fund raising committee.
Thanks, Nick. This is more proof that our former ROV is an activist for the left.
What’s your point?
Sorry Nick, you are incorrect that CDA is the fund raising co-chair of any campaign. But, if she was, so what ? Go back to sleep.
Nick: I believe she stepped down before I could even report on this but will confirm that for you.
I believe this guy makes a pretty good case—-https://youtu.be/1W4G9WAWcbM
Commenting here as a private citizen, his testimony in support of Laura Hobbs’ lawsuit was not good enough to keep it from being dismissed. The fact he believes in the Mesa Pattern destroys any shred of credibility he might purport to have. Not to mention he admires Dr. Frank. I bet he believes in the Big Lie too.
http://www.siskiyoubethelwatch.org/government
Kudos to you, Annalise, for staying the whole three hours. I lasted two hours and mourn that I will never get those hours back again. If I should ever attend another election commission meeting I will attend with a plan. I shall bring a roll of aluminum foil and use my superior crafting skills to make little tin hats for these sad and mixed up people. But I pray that never happens because this commission serves no purpose and should be disbanded. Soon. In that eventuality, I imagine Brad and Mike would be relieved.
Here’s some further “uncertainty” for Ya’ll.
https://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/cannabis-task-force-seizes-more-than-70-million-in-illegal-cannabis-in-california-since-july/article_efec9e6e-9102-11ef-a19e-434fcad1272f.html
Note: Zero MIT/MET activity again in Shasta, #2024. The general public is NOT this ignorant.
I’m not sure the Elections Commission is even worth the money the County spends on electricity to keep the lights on in the chambers…
Doin’ drugs, drinking like fish & running dope doesn’t strike me as conservative. Coffers are down @ 25% campaign funds vs “the competition”… Palo Cedro citizens can’t even get along amongst themselves to design future parameters for staying “rural”.
Kin Clan feuds. . . got to love it. Gov for the sake of Gov and whose who as to who has a Gov job children. Fairly pathetic. Personally- I see sprawl California . . .
Your hatred for anything conservative is sad. So biased.
Demanding proof of these unfounded accusations is not hatred.
So, anything that you don’t like, or disagrees with you is hate? Do I understand you correctly?
Do you understand this? “If you look in that office, you can tell that most of them, I would say, 75% of them — just by looking – are liberal. They have wild hair colors or whatever . . . ”
tRumpist, Mr. Pillow, 3-time loser Hobbs.
Accountability is not hatred sir…..
Hated of conservatives? I am a conservative and I agree with these folks that this commission is a waste of time! They are trying to buck California law. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. But the fact is if that is their mission, they do not belong here. They need to take their work to Sacramento and save us the time and money we have to put out listening to them come forward with breaking current state law! This county has no control over state law, and they are of no use here, particularly when we have to use our tax dollars to fund this little circus.
Furthermore, Bruce, you are NOT a victim like you are playing at.
The true victims, would be the poll workers and election workers who have to deal with the fallout of these unproven and unfounded accusations.
Funny, I always thought Conservatives were in favor of LESS Government, not layers upon layers like this stupid Faux Election Committee.
On the contrary Bruce, from the comments that I have seen that you posted on here, you are the one that is full of hate.
I moved over here from Tennessee about 7 months ago or so, I’m just surprised at the level of ignorance that there is in California.
You sir, are full of it.
Nothing being discussed here is conservative, that ideology is largely dead. This is all MAGA junk.
It is atrocious and, I imagine, unlawful for secessionists to issue a legal demand that County supervisors not certify an election that follows the law and will be (too) carefully monitored for proper procedure in processing ballots.
This Jones Gang founded “commission” will likely be disbanded after the first of the year, if Rickert is re-elected. If not, I predict Crye will play Corkey like a violin and the latter will fall in line with the good ol’ boys a la Kelstrom.
Two words: Tina Peters
One word: Neofascism
The Ties That Bind.
UMFLEET, STEVEN HOLLISTER, CA. 95023
Political comtrubiter to Tina Peters.
Opensecrets.org
Douglass Frank, a hero of Umfleet, Jones, his sidekick Hobbs, and Jones’ operators Lund, Plumb, and Hanson, testified for the convicted criminal Peters: “I’ve been going around the country helping lots of people (like Tina Peters), and Mike Lindell pays me to do that.” How many times has the Cartel brought Frank to Shasta County? I lost count.
Mr. Pillow, Crye’s political mentor, says he gave as much as $800,000 to Mesa County Clerk Peters, a convicted criminal and hero to election conspiracy theorists who got nine years of prison for helping Frank orchestrate a breach of election security. This is exactly what the Jones Commission has tried to do since its inception. And while I’m at it, might I ask, Gee Wizz, Mr. Pillow, where’s that check you promised Shasta County? The Jones Commission is waiting.
The J.C.K. Cartel Cauldron of election liars and deniers called the Shasta County Election Commission persistently refuses to listen to County Counsel Larmour and persistently violates the counsel’s recommendation not to issue proclamations to break laws.
The hope: Jones and his Commission want the county to break laws so the state will prosecute, and Shasta County will become Steve Umfleet’s “beacon of hope to the rest of California” that supports the BIG LIE. But, here’s the BIG NEWS, Mr. Umfleet: Like a New California and the State of Jefferson, that will never happen. The majority of Shasta County Citizens are law-abiding and want governance to be as well.
By the way, Mr. Unfleet, the vast majority of Californians are not election deniers and don’t support your hero and the hero of, Doug Frank, Corkey Harmon, Mr. Pillow, the J.C.K. Cartel and their election commission, criminal Tina Peters, or your REALLY BIG hero, convicted criminal – adjudicated rapist Donald Trump.
It’s way past time for the Cartel and Commission to snap out of their delusional dream that costs Shasta County millions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars and return to reality. It’s past time Shasta County goes into recovery, gets clean, safe, and sane again.
Get a new drug… American Democracy.
To be fair to Doug Frank, although the F.B.I. did take Franks’s phone away in the investigation of the Peters case, Frank was not indicted or charged, as of this date, of any criminal activity in the Peters case.
The Washington Post reported, “Hours after FBI agents investigating an alleged breach of voting machines in Colorado seized a cellphone belonging to My Pillow founder Mike Lindell, agents also served a search warrant on Lindell associate and fellow election denier Douglas Frank… Frank met with Peters at her office in April 2021 and “showed her how her election was hacked,” Frank previously told The Post. He said he told her that an upcoming Dominion software update could erase data needed to show that the election was stolen, and he relayed to someone in Lindell’s circle her request for technical help copying that data.”
So, the help Frank gave seems to be connecting Peters to others who could help with the election crimes Peters was just convicted of. Franks says he committed no crime.