Shasta County Preliminary Election Results – Crye Recall, County Board Districts 2 , 3 & 4, and Measures C & D

March 6, 9:26 am: We have updated this story to clarify that the votes counted so far include those cast in the precincts on election day but not those received yesterday via precinct ballot drop boxes, other county-wide ballot drop boxes or by mail. The Shasta County Elections Office has clarified that “thousands of votes” still remain to be counted in the days ahead. Votes will not be certified until 28 days post-election.

The outcome of Shasta County’s March 5 primary vote will partially determine the who will sit on the Shasta County Board of Supervisors beginning in January 2025. Some questions will remain unanswered. Here’s what you need to know.

Here’s What Primary Election Votes Will Determine

Shasta County voters will decide whether Supervisor Kevin Crye, who sits on the county board for District 1, will be recalled, but not who will fill his seat if he is. That’s different from what happened when former county supervisor Leonard Moty was recalled a few years ago. Back then, voters filled out their ballots to specify their vote on the recall and also voted on who would take Moty’s seat. Since then, a new law allows California Governor Gavin Newsom to appoint someone to fill the vacant position if Crye is recalled.

Primary results could decide the winner for supervisor races in Districts 2 and 3, but that depends on how the votes fall. If any single candidate in a single race gets at least 50% plus one vote, they will win the race. If none of the candidates obtain a majority, the top two vote holders in that race will move forward to the general election in November. In District 4 there are only two candidates, so a winner will be declared based on primary election votes assuming one gets 50% plus one vote.

The primary vote will also decide whether future supervisors will face term limits (if Measure C passes) and whether the county will become a charter county where vacant supervisor seats can be filled by either the board majority or via a special election (if Measure D passes).

Here’s When Election Results Will Be Released

The polls close at 8 pm on March 5. Under state law, no ballots can be counted prior to 8 pm even if they are received earlier.

The first preliminary round of election results will be released on the evening of March 5, shortly after 8 pm and will include the results of ballots received by the Elections Office prior to March 5 either by mail, by ballot drop box, or by in-person voting.

Ballots from the precincts will not arrive at the Elections Office until they are delivered by poll workers after the polls close at 8 pm. Ballots that have to travel from precincts farther out in the county will arrive later than those coming from closer precincts. As ballots arrive, they will be counted, leading to additional rounds of election updates that will occur at intervals throughout the evening, until the majority of the votes cast prior to and throughout March 5, have been counted.

Throughout the following days, elections officials will continue to count additional ballots that have not yet been processed. According to the Elections Office, these include thousands of votes from precinct drop boxes, other drop boxes county-wide, and received by mail on election day. Voters will also be contacted to correct issues that arise with their ballots as needed. By state law, a final result for the March 5 election will not be available until 28 days after the election, after sufficient time has been allowed for the ballot canvassing process.

For candidates or measures where the voting margin is large, the results will become clear almost immediately, late on March 5. Other votes may be close enough to require waiting for further election updates to determine what candidates have won or measures have passed.

Election Results: Recall of Supervisor Kevin Crye

In District 1, voters will decide whether to recall Supervisor Kevin Crye.

As of 1:26 am on March 6, with votes cast in the precinct on election day counted, 53% of the votes are in favor of recalling Kevin Crye. A margin of only 245 votes stands between the recall and no recall votes. These are still very preliminary results.

Election Results: Shasta County Board Seats in Districts 2, 3, 4

There are three other board seats affected by the March 5 election.

District 2

In District 2, voters will decide between four candidates to find out who will take Supervisor Tim Garman’s seat. Candidates include Susanne Baremore, Laura Hobbs, Allen Long, and Dan Sloan. If any one candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, they will win the seat. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in November.

As of 1:26 am on March 6, with votes cast in the precincts on election day counted, Allen Long has 55% of the vote with a margin of 1,567 votes over his closest competitor. He’s followed by Laura Hobbs with 16% Dan Sloan with almost 16% and Susanne Baremore both with 12%. These are still very preliminary results.

District 3

In District 3, candidates will decide between three candidates, including the incumbent, Supervisor Mary Rickert, to determine who will hold Rickert’s seat. The other candidates include Win Carpenter and Corkey Harmon. Again, if any one candidate gets more than 50% of the vote they will win the seat. Otherwise the top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in November.

As of 1:26 am on March 6, with votes cast in the precincts on election day counted, Mary Rickert has almost 44% of the vote followed by Corkey Harmon with 28% and Win Carpenter with 27%. These are still very preliminary results.

District 4

In District 4, voters will choose between two candidates, the incumbent Patrick Jones, and his opponent, Matt Plummer. The March 5 vote will determine who holds this seat. If the winner is Matt Plummer, he would replace Patrick Jones in January of 2025.

As of 1:26 am on March 6, with votes cast in the precinct on election day counted, Matt Plummer has almost 61% of the votes. A margin of 897 votes stands between Plummer and Jones. These are still very preliminary results.

Election Results: Measures C & D

Measures C (county board supervisor term limits) and Measure D (charter county, county board chooses how board vacancies will be filled) will either pass or fail during the primary.

As of 1:26 am on March 6, with votes cast in the precinct on election day counted, Measure C is succeeding with almost 76% of the vote. These are still very preliminary results.

As of 1:26 am on March 6, votes cast in the precinct on election day counted, Measure D is succeeding with 53% of the vote. There is a margin of 1,417 votes. These are still very preliminary results.

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