Poll workers say Election Day is off to a good start, but with a few bumps in the road

The polls opened at 7 a.m., and poll workers across Redding and the surrounding areas said that while Election Day has had a relatively slow and easygoing start by mid-morning, there’s been a few complications and concerns. 

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. all day for the primary election, where voters will be deciding on local races, including Shasta County Districts 1 and 5 supervisors, Shasta’s county clerk and registrar of voters and an election initiative known as Measure B. Statewide, voters will also be choosing which gubernatorial candidates will move on to the general election in November.

Poll workers have been up since the early hours this morning to set up the polling places and ensure they’re ready to accept Shasta’s voters throughout the day. Some workers are new, while others have been working the polls for decades. 

By mid-morning, there hadn’t been much traffic at polling places, several precinct inspectors said, causing a slower start to the day. But there were a few bumps in the road for some: At one location, the precinct inspector was given the wrong key to a polling place by the building’s operator, and at several locations, poll workers had difficulty setting up the accessible voting machines.

Polling places are equipped with accessible voting machines for voters who need accommodations in order to cast their ballot. They have a touchscreen tablet, audio interface keypad with Braille, headphones with instructions in multiple languages and other features. 

The machines are connected to a printer, where a voter’s ballot can be printed out. Multiple poll workers and precinct inspectors said they had difficulty setting these machines up and connecting them to the printers, but most said the issues had been addressed. 

Some poll workers also expressed uncertainty and concern about the new poll closer process, saying they weren’t sure who would show up or exactly what their role would be, with several workers reporting different information about their understanding of the process. A few inspectors said they’d be closely watching the poll closures while they handle ballots, as they’re the ones responsible for ballot security at the polls and signing off on ballot numbers at the end of the day. 

Shasta Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis confirmed this understanding yesterday, calling precinct inspectors the “ultimate bosses” of polling places. Poll closers are a new experiment this Election Day; they’re temporary election staffers who will work at the polls for a few hours on election night to sort and batch ballots in preparation for them to be livestreamed during vote counting at the elections office.

There’s also been some confusion about general processes at several polling places, including where to put ballot envelopes for votes already cast and how to sign members of the media in. A number of poll workers said poll training in preparation for this election was less organized and thorough than in prior elections.

Polling places are located within various types of buildings throughout Shasta, including churches, fire stations and even a funeral home. Tom Winslow, the pastor of Family Celebration Church in the city of Shasta Lake, said his church has been serving as a polling place for about two decades. 

“It’s an honor to be able to provide this space, to be a part of our community,” he said. “The more I can help our community, the more I show myself as a servant to the community, and I love it. I absolutely love the opportunity to help.”

Members of the public can have a front row seat to the election process — as observers — both at the elections office on Market Street and at the various polling locations across Shasta, as long as they wear a badge and sign in. 

At the American Legion 720 in the city of Shasta Lake, observer Mark Twitchell took notes as voters came and went. He said he hadn’t seen anything particularly concerning so far, noting he showed up in response to a request from organizer Susan Baremore to help keep an eye on the polls. 

At the Redding Masonic Family Center, observers Judy and Charlie Menoher arrived as soon as the polling place opened to watch the election in action. They said they’re concerned about the voting process and recent changes to Shasta’s elections, though they noted that they hadn’t seen any issues by mid-morning.

On Shasta voters’ ballots this election is Measure B, which would implement voter ID requirements — among many other rules, some in which would violate state law — if passed. 

At one polling place, Little Country Church, multiple voters audibly expressed support for the implementation of voter ID, with one saying that they hope it will be required in November. Poll workers didn’t engage with the voters’ conversation, remaining neutral and objective on ballot issues. 

See more photos from the morning of the June 2 election below.

Annelise Pierce and Nevin Kallepalli contributed reporting for this story.

June 4, 2026 8:30 a.m.: We have updated the story to correct a location reference.

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