Some Shasta poll workers uncertain ahead of Nov. 4 special election

Clint Curtis will run his first election this fall. 

The former Florida-based attorney moved to Shasta after being appointed to the county’s top election position earlier this year. He has no prior experience working in an election office, but Curtis told reporters he feels confident about running the best election Shasta has ever seen. 

Some of the county’s long-term poll workers feel less certain. California’s statewide special election will take place Nov. 4. Redding residents will see two items on the ballot: a local sales tax initiative called Measure A and a statewide redistricting initiative known as Prop. 50. The rest of Shasta County will only see the single Prop. 50 item.

As a new Registrar of Voters (ROV), Curtis faces a steep learning curve. Last week, Curtis finally gained enough supervisor votes for a county budget amendment providing him with an additional $134,000 in county funds to buy equipment for the new ballot processing approach he’s piloting. It was his third appeal for additional county funds.

Formalized details of that approach remain nebulous. As of Sept. 3, public records requested from the county yielded no new written county materials outlining how elections will be run under Curtis.

In interviews, he’s mentioned adjustments to how poll workers will be asked to handle ballots at polling places, but so far, those adjustments haven’t been documented into any formal training materials that have been made available to the public. Neither he nor the Election Office have responded to multiple requests for comment this week on whether poll worker training dates have been set or if changes to poll worker training materials have been made. 

Poll workers are a key part of conducting a fair and impartial election. Assigned to election precincts throughout the county, they work in cooperative groups under the leadership of a precinct inspector to safeguard in-person voting at polling places. They’re volunteers who are offered a stipend of between $100-$125 dollars a day to work an intensive shift that starts at 6 a.m. and doesn’t end until 9 p.m. But many still sign up year after year, viewing the process as a way to invest in a democratic process that upholds the community they love. 

“After my birthday and our anniversary,” retired teacher and union staffer — and Shasta Scout board member — Jeannette Logue told a reporter, “Election Day is my favorite day of the year. It’s the most American day for me.”

“Poll workers see firsthand what voting means to the average American,” Logue continued. “One man came into our polling place and he was so excited. He said, ‘I get to vote. I was in prison, I served my time and now I have my right to vote back again.’ He didn’t seem to care who heard him say this. It’s extremely touching. Most people just don’t think about this stuff unless they are actually there.”

Logue and her husband, Mickey, have worked on Election Day in Shasta County for decades. They are hoping to serve again during the Nov. 4 election but are still awaiting information about poll worker training schedules and precinct assignments.

That poll worker information seems to be behind schedule compared to past years, Logue noted. As a former precinct inspector, she said she knows the kind of in-depth planning that goes into setting up the dozens of polling places and the importance of understanding even small changes in election processes. 

Poll workers are front-line elections workers. Ensuring their competence and adherence to the law is central to protecting the right to vote, especially for those with specific access needs. California has uniform standards for poll worker training, including information on voter rights, cultural sensitivity and how and when to assist voters with disabilities.

Updates to poll worker training materials don’t have to be made every election, but if new procedures for the polling places are implemented, they’d need to be written into the documents that guide Shasta’s poll workers in order to maintain consistency across the polls.

While some locals support Curtis’ vision, none agreed to speak to a reporter in response to newsletter and social media requests asking the public to share their diverse perspectives for this story.

Mark Twitchell is one of about two dozen local individuals who did response to those queries. He became a poll worker during the 2020 election and served again in 2024. He said he was contacted by a staffer at the Election Office last month with a general question about whether he wanted to remain on the poll worker list. He told them he wasn’t interested in helping now that Curtis is in charge. 

“[The staffer] said she’s trying to find experienced people to step in,” Twitchell told Shasta Scout, referencing the words of the election staffer, “and I said I’m sorry, but it ain’t me this time.” He’s concerned about Curtis’ leadership, Twitchell explained, saying the new ROV is “a lot of talk” and “doesn’t really think things through.”

“It scares me,” Twitchell confessed. “I don’t want to get involved in anything that I don’t think is above board or might possibly be illegal, and that’s what I’m afraid might happen here.”

Community member Miguel Hiromoto has worked in the last two Shasta elections and plans to work again this year. He said he’s already been contacted by an election staffer confirming his interest and expects training to be scheduled soon. Hiromoto says he doesn’t believe the Election Office is running behind in scheduling training and assignments given this is a special election.

But when it comes to Curtis’ leadership, Hiromoto expressed less confidence. He says he distrusts Shasta’s new election official, noting his lack of experience. But Hiromoto says that feeling of distrust is actually what motivated him to be a poll worker again this election. “The chaos surrounding this election,” the Shasta resident said, is what makes poll workers’ roles even more pivotal to success.

“We need the experienced poll workers to sign up again and we need new poll workers as well,” Hiromoto emphasized, saying he wants to do his own limited part to ensure that local elections are conducted according to California law. 

“I want to make sure that every person who wants to vote is able to do so. … The rest is up to Curtis, unfortunately.”

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