Third Request from ROV Clint Curtis Receives 4-1 Vote

CALIRED NEWS–The Shasta County Board of Supervisors approved $135,961 in additional funding requested by Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis for Nov. 4 elections in a 4-1 vote with Supervisor Allen Long dissenting. Public comments were divided 6 to 6 in favor and against.

An earlier budget projection by the County Clerk/Registrar of Voters showed a budget request for 2025/2026 or $4.4 million–an increase of $514,149 from the 2024/2025 adopted budget of $3.9 million for elections.

ROV Clint Curtis said the Election Office would purchase three new tabulators adding to the three they have and then lease everything else and provide election results within six hours of the close of voting. He said the election office staff has moved to the second floor  which the public was able to see during an Election Office Open House held on Saturday, Sept. 20.

The ROV intended to use new temporary staff on the first floor doing ballot processing that’s accessible to observers, who will be allowed to utilize chairs set up in a small lounge area. A stool will be placed behind every group of four temporary staff members so observers can provide over-the-shoulder supervision if they choose. The goal is to allow the public to compare the ballots before and after the machine scans the vote count, confirming electronic results. Voters will not be identified through their ballots which will be opened away from cameras to prevent names and signatures from being linked to individual votes.

Current election workers will be working on the second floor managing other parts of the election. According to Curtis, the ballots will be shown to a camera first and then machine-scanned before being shown to a camera again. Assisting Curtis is the Assistant Registrar of Voters Brent Turner.

This new money follows two earlier requests from the ROV for additional money at one point seeking $2.6 million–using jail expansion money to get it done–to relocate the Elections Office in downtown Redding on Market Street near Placer Street to the former 28,000-square-foot former Joann Fabrics and Crafts building on Dana Drive which closed earlier this year after 12 years at that location.

Curtis said this new location would allow him to install 42 cameras to live stream workers while they process ballots. The empty building was originally a Circuit City electronics store and is already equipped with cameras and internet and is ADA compliant with ample parking.

Without Shasta County Board of Supervisors approval of his two earlier budget requests, Curtis settled for the $135,961 request which he brought before them at the Sept. 23 board meeting.

One change Curtis is implementing in Shasta County elections is that electronic poll pads to check voters in at polling places are being discontinued. County elections instead will use paper poll books. Curtis has previously expressed concerns about Shasta County ballot duplication, signature verification in previous elections and ballot drop boxes. According to Curtis, “We had 2,700 more votes than voters in the 2024 elections.” He also is an advocate for printing  ballots locally to save money.

Those wishing to volunteer to work the 2025 elections are asked to contact the Election Office at 530-225-5213.

(Editor’s Note: Clint Curtis is a former software engineer and attorney licensed in New York but living in Florida before being appointed in May of this year in a 3-2 vote with Supervisors Kevin Crye, Chris Kelstorm, and Corkey Harmon voting for him. Read the CaliRed News story at “Shasta County Registrar of Voters Raises Money for Election Clerk Campaign”.)