As Prop. 50 lines come into play at the midterms, Shasta County will join California’s second congressional district, currently represented by Jared Huffman of San Rafael. His representation would mark an immense shift for Shasta’s conservative voters.
Former Shasta supervisor Tim Garman has pulled out of the race for District 5, a seat currently held by Shasta County Board Chair Chris Kelstrom. Garman has endorsed Mike Gallagher, a current Anderson City Council member.
This week, county supervisors discussed whether Shasta election official Clint Curtis might have violated county policy by making campaign-related statements on county property. The county’s attorney said he had reviewed a single comment which would be viewed as only an “incidental." A recording of the event illuminates many similar statements.
The special general election to fill the remainder of late Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s term has been set for Aug. 4.
Shasta’s ROV pitched his process for counting ballots while alleging that past election officials, which would include his political opponent in the upcoming midterm, were engaged in fraud.
Curtis announced on radio station KQMS that he took the exam, also known as a lie detector test, to prove to the public that he didn’t tamper with the last election. Research shows such tests are unreliable.
The assemblyman was speculated to be a frontrunner for the late congressman’s seat. He’s running with the support of the late Congressman’s wife.
Curtis ran his first election this fall. He claims his new processes have revolutionized Shasta elections and increased trust, something some public commenters contradict.
A mid-October letter from the Secretary of State asked Shasta’s election official for his written plans and procedures. The 14-page document he provided revolved largely around what Curtis believes former election officials did wrong.
The manual tally, which involves hand counting some of the ballots to verify the machine count, occurred yesterday. Notice of the legally required audit was only released on Friday, raising concerns for some.
