The majority of the lawsuit, which has been repeatedly referenced by activists as evidence for the need to appoint new Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis and terminate former Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut, was dismissed because it addressed matters not within the court's jurisdiction.
Curtis announced that he’ll be running for the Registrar of Voters position in 2026, making negative comments about his top staffer, Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut, who’s also running for the seat. Some members of the press were excluded from the event despite it originally being billed as public.
Florida-based attorney Clint Curtis is scheduled to be appointed as Shasta County’s Registrar of Voters tonight, May 13. He registered to vote in the county last week, using the address of an Election Commissioner who’s also an outspoken opponent of the Shasta County Election Office.
Florida-based attorney Clint Curtis has been selected as the County’s top election official despite never having worked in an elections office. He says he’ll follow state law which requires the use of voting machines while making Shasta County the “gold standard” for elections by adding more cameras to the process. It’s unclear how that process would work and how much it might cost.
Attorney Clint Curtis and Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut were among the top candidates for Shasta County’s chief elections official job last year. Ahead of their interviews tomorrow, April 30, Shasta Scout revisited statements made during their 2024 interviews.
Interviews of five candidates next week will help determine Shasta County’s next Registrar of Voters. One applicant, Clint Curtis, does not appear to meet the basic qualifications set by the Board for the role.
Procedural issues with paperwork filed by plaintiffs Daniel Ladd and Laura Hobbs were overlooked by Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Hanna who said they wouldn’t be penalized for honest mistakes.
In front of a packed and noisy chamber, four supervisors voted unanimously to begin another nationwide recruitment process. They were strongly opposed by the majority of the crowd who called for the appointment of the County’s Assistant Registrar of Voters, Joanna Francescut, to fill the top elections role.
Appointed elections official Tom Toller says he’s stepping down in response to a serious illness. He will have overseen Shasta County’s Elections Office for less than a year.
The decision came after a Superior Court Judge ruled against the County’s request for expedited court action. Ballot measure proponents may now attempt to gain signatures. If the measure is eventually passed by voters, it's likely to face an immediate legal challenge from the state.
Shasta Scout is proud to have been providing in-depth coverage of local elections since 2022.
