California: New Shasta County elections chief ‘terminates’ popular assistant registrar of voters | Damon Arthur/Redding Record Searchlight

Shasta County’s assistant registrar of voters was “terminated” from her position working for the County Clerk’s Office by the new head of the department, who was appointed to the post just two weeks ago. Joanna Francescut, who made the announcement Tuesday, worked in the elections department for the past 17 years and was passed over for the position twice in the past two years, this year in favor of a Florida attorney with no elections department management experience. “I am deeply disappointed that during his first week in office, the new county clerk and registrar of voters (Clint Curtis) did not make any effort to meet with me or provide an opportunity to work collaboratively,” Francescut said in a statement. Read Article

California: ‘Sketchy:’ Shasta County’s newly appointed elections chief’s work history questioned | Damon Arthur/ Redding Record Searchlight

For the second year in a row, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors has appointed someone with no elections oversight experience to be the county registrar of voters and whose work history has raised questions. The top candidate also says he wrote a computer program that allows votes to be secretly altered. Clint Curtis, who was passed over for the job last year, was appointed by the board on Tuesday, May 13. Curtis, 66, of Titusville, Florida, will be the county’s third registrar of voters in two years. Read Article

California: Shasta County Files Legal Action Over Proposed Ballot Measure to “Reform” Elections | Annelise Pierce/Shasta Scout

A group of five local community members have submitted paperwork to the Shasta County Elections Office in hopes of amending the County’s new charter, a document that outlines specifics about how the County is governed. The group behind the February 19 petition includes election activists Laura Hobbs, Deirdre Holliday, Kari Chilson, Richard Gallardo, and James Burnett. Their goal is to get permission from the Elections Office to circulate a petition for signatures to put the proposed measure on the fall ballot. If enough signatures are gathered, the document could provide the community an oppportunity to vote on a ballot measure that Hobbs and others say is designed to “reform” local election law. But Shasta County is pushing back. In a March 13 complaint filed in Shasta County Superior Court, attorney Joseph Larmour alleged that the proposed ballot measure will be used to attempt to implement actions that he believes are illegal and would violate the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the federal Help America Vote Act or HAVA. Read Article

A California Republican won a seat he didn’t want. Now taxpayers are paying for a new election | Ryan Sabalow/CalMatters

San Joaquin Valley Republican Vince Fong was on the ballot this fall for an Assembly race, but he didn’t want to win it. After all, he left that job for Congress earlier this year, and he planned to stay in the nation’s capital.He even went so far as to endorse the Bakersfield city councilmember who was listed as running against him on the November ballot. But voters chose Fong anyway for the Assembly. They chose him again for Congress, too, since he was listed on the same ballot twice. Now, since Fong “won” his Assembly race, Kern and Tulare County taxpayers in Assembly District 32 will end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a special election to fill the seat that Fong doesn’t want any more. Read Article

California: How an ultra-right majority in Shasta County picked a novice to run its elections |  | The Guardian

When Shasta county had to search for a new official to oversee its elections earlier this year, there was an obvious candidate. Her name was Joanna Francescut, and she had been the assistant elections clerk and registrar of voters in this remote region in California’s far north. Francescut had worked in elections for more than 16 years, oversaw the office of the county clerk and registrar of voters for months after her boss went on leave, and was endorsed by elections officials and prominent area Republicans alike. Instead, the ultra-conservative majority on Shasta county’s board of supervisors in June selected Tom Toller, a former prosecutor who had never worked in elections and vowed to change the office culture, improve public confidence, and “clean up” voter rolls. Read Article

California: Judge blocks law that targeted deepfake campaign ads | Jon Healey/Los Angeles Times

With deepfake video and audio making their way into political campaigns, California enacted its toughest restrictions yet in September: a law prohibiting political ads within 120 days of an election that include deceptive, digitally generated or altered content unless the ads are labeled as “manipulated.” On Wednesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the law, saying it violated the 1st Amendment. Other laws against deceptive campaign ads remain on the books in California, including one that requires candidates and political action committees to disclose when ads are using artificial intelligence to create or substantially alter content. But the preliminary injunction granted against Assembly Bill 2839 means that there will be no broad prohibition against individuals using artificial intelligence to clone a candidate’s image or voice and portraying them falsely without revealing that the images or words are fake. Read Article

California sees significant election official turnover amid threats, misinformation | Julie Watts/CBS

In 25 of California’s 58 counties, the person in charge will be running the presidential election there for the first time this year – impacting nearly half of California’s registered voters. “Experience is super important because you have the opportunity to learn from what happened in a past election,” Adona said. “You’re also able to more quickly adjust.” But while turnover has skyrocketed in California since the last presidential election cycle, looking back two decades, this level of turnover is not extraordinary. And not everyone new to the top job is inexperienced. Bob Page is the new Orange County registrar of voters. He previously held the position in San Bernardino County. Read Article

California: Orange County and state say digital poll books are legal in response to lawsuit that challenges them | Hanna Kang/Orange County Register

Digital voter records are completely separate from the equipment used to tally votes, so allegations in a lawsuit that conflate the two are unfounded, lawyers for the county and state argue in a response recently filed in court. Earlier this month, lawyers representing the state and the county filed their response to a lawsuit alleging that the digital voter records, which are connected to the internet, are a part of the voting system and thus in violation of California law. The lawyers argued the lawsuit has no grounds and asked an Orange County Superior Court judge to dismiss it. Three registered Republican voters in Orange County filed the lawsuit in March against OC Registrar of Voters Bob Page, the OC Board of Supervisors, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Gov. Gavin Newsom, alleging that the California Voter’s Choice Act goes against the state election code. Read Article

California: In Shasta County fights over elections have left wounds that just won’t heal | Jessica Huseman/Votebeat

To understand the forces tearing apart California’s Shasta County, consider what has happened to Cathy Darling Allen. In five consecutive elections, voters in the rural county have selected her as their chief election official. That means that since 2004, she’s been responsible for voter registration, the administration of elections, and a host of related tasks. She’s consistently been the only Democrat in countywide office in the conservative county, where Donald Trump won more than 60% of the vote in 2020. In 2022, her most recent appearance on the ballot, she took in nearly 70% of the vote. By those indicators, she seems pretty popular. But she has received a steady stream of threats from a loud minority of Shasta County residents who falsely believe the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. She has been repeatedly accused in public meetings and on social media of engaging in both satanism and witchcraft. The most committed MAGA activists have circulated petitions accusing her of sedition and treason. She’s been followed walking to her car. Someone — she still isn’t certain who — installed a trail camera behind her office, where votes are counted. Read Article

California: Shasta County supervisors hire lawyer to lead county elections office | Damon Arthur/Redding Record Searchlight

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday appointed as its next registrar of voters a semi-retired former prosecutor with no experience in managing an elections department, a job he described as a “critical” position with a presidential election looming in November. Thomas Toller, 62, said during his public job interview with the supervisors Tuesday and Wednesday that he could quickly get up to speed on learning California election laws and get to know the staff at the county clerk and registrar of voters office. “I look forward to the opportunity to serve the people of Shasta County. And my greatest hope is that I can bring some transparency to the office and increase people’s confidence in how we process votes here in Shasta County,” Toller said after the board’s 3-2 vote to hire him. Read Article

California: Shasta County election lawsuit goes to court, with an unusual twist | Damon Arthur/Redding Record Searchlight

It appears the Shasta County Board of Supervisors and a woman who is suing the county after she lost in the March primary election for District 2 supervisor are making the same argument about why she lost the election. The lawyer for Laura Hobbs, who lost in the election, said in Shasta County Superior Court on Tuesday that one of the primary arguments for contesting the outcome of the election was how candidates’ names were placed on the ballot. Haberbush’s claim was similar to this statement issued last week by a majority of the county supervisors: “The registrar of voters made an error by not using the California secretary of state’s randomized alphabet; as a result, the order names were listed on the ballot was not correct. California law specifies this requirement to randomly place names on the ballot to not afford any advantage to a specific candidate; instead, the name placement is essentially a lottery process. The Board majority believes this may have affected the election outcome and may have harmed those placed on the ballot. Nonetheless, the court is the trier of fact and will ultimately make the determination in this case.” Read Artixcle

California: District 16 recount reveals that one county was plagued with thumb flubs and other voting errors | Grace Hase and Harriet Blair Rowan/The Mercury News

In the end, it came down to 19 ballots in Santa Clara County that ultimately made the difference in the hotly contested Congressional District 16 race — ballots that were never counted the first time around due to simple human error. While a change equal to just a fraction of a percent of votes is unlikely to shift the entire results of most elections, a once-in-a-generation perfect tie in this case exposed the gaffes and fumbles by one county in the tabulation process. What followed the March primary was two months of counting and recounting more than 182,000 votes in the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo — a stunning saga that finally came to a close on Wednesday afternoon. Read Article

California: Two months to count election ballots? State’s long tallies turn election day into weeks, months | Micharl R. Blood/Associated Press

Nearly two months after the election, a recount settled the outcome in a Northern California U.S. House primary contest, breaking a mathematically improbable tie for second place but also spotlighting the lengthy stretch it took count the votes. Most California residents vote by mail, and in the pursuit of accuracy, thoroughness and counting every vote, the nation’s most populous state has gained a reputation for tallies that can drag on for weeks — and sometimes longer. Voting in the state’s primary election concluded on March 5. At time when many Americans have doubts about election integrity, a two-month stretch to tally votes in one House race “absolutely is a problem from an optics point of view,” said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, which seeks to improve the voting process. Read Article

California: Advocates for blind people sue over mail voting rules | Bob Egelko/San Francisco Chronicle

Advocates for blind and other disabled voters in California are urging federal courts to intervene, arguing that the state’s current mail-in ballot rules force them to rely on others to cast their votes, violating their right to privacy and independence. They are seeking permission for those with print disabilities to return their ballots using fax machines or electronic equipment, citing the need for accessible alternatives like those provided in 13 other states. Currently, visually impaired voters can use electronic devices to fill out their ballots, but they must then print and deliver them, compromising the secrecy of their votes. Read Article

California supervisor who tried to get rid of Shasta County vote-counting machines survives recall | Adam Beam/Associated Press

A local official in a rural Northern California survived a recall attempt spurred in part by his effort to get rid of the county’s vote-counting machines following unfounded accusations of fraud amplified by former President Donald Trump. Kevin Crye was elected to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in 2022. He and two other supervisors then voted to get rid of the county’s vote-counting machines, directing local officials to hand count ballots. The machines were made by Dominion Voting Systems, the company at the center of debunked conspiracy theories of how Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. The decision divided the community and prompted a group of residents to file a recall petition to remove Crye from office a little over one year into his four-year term. That effort failed by just 50 votes out of more than 9,300 ballots cast, according to official results that were certified on Thursday by the Shasta County Registrar of Voters more than three weeks after Election Day. Read Article

California county on edge over bid to recall far-right, election-denying official | Dani Anguiano/The Guardian

The recall election in northern California’s Shasta County, targeting far-right supervisor Kevin Crye, remains undecided with Crye maintaining a slim lead of less than 50 votes out of over 9,000 cast. Crye, part of a far-right majority on the board, gained attention for his promotion of conspiracy theories and support for manual vote counting, meeting with figures like Mike Lindell of MyPillow. Crye’s potential loss reflects a shift in sentiment, exemplified by incumbent Patrick Jones’s defeat, suggesting voters may be seeking change. Crye’s supporters argue against the recall, portraying it as a Democratic effort, while critics cite his failure to fulfill campaign promises. The outcome could have implications for Shasta County’s political direction, with national figures like Rand Paul and Kari Lake weighing in, and the California governor potentially selecting Crye’s replacement if he loses. Read Article

California: ‘What’s it going to be this time?’: An election official braces for 2024 | Jessica Klein/Fast Company

It’s been a rough few years for election workers. Ever since former President Donald Trump called the 2020 presidential election “rigged,” spreading false claims of voting fraud echoed by his supporters, the once low-profile citizens who tally votes have found themselves under an unexpected spotlight—and the targets of vitriol. For Natalie Adona, who moved from private philanthropy at the Democracy Fund in Washington, DC to serve as Assistant Registrar of Voters in Nevada County in her home state of California in 2018, harassment has focused on her identity as an Asian American, her “outsider” status, and her county’s COVID-19 protocols. Read Article

‘California: An extreme agenda’: could a recall end far-right control of Shasta County? | Dani Anguiano/The Guardian

In 2022, 5,000 voters, angry about Covid-era health restrictions, ousted a moderate Republican official in Shasta county, California. The vote helped put the rural region, in the state’s north, on the map for extremist far-right politics In the two years since, the ultra-conservative majority that controls the county’s governing board has attempted to upend the voting system and spread conspiracy theories that elections were being rigged. They moved to allow people to carry firearms in public buildings in violation of state law and offered the county’s top job to the leader of a California secessionist group. Now, residents frustrated by the county’s recent governance hope another recall will force a change. They’re aiming to oust Kevin Crye, a far-right county supervisor who has been in office for just a year. Read Article

California: Shasta County’s longtime Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen to retire | David Benda Redding Record Searchlight

Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, Cathy Darling Allen, will retire in May after two decades in office, citing a diagnosis of heart failure and the need for stress reduction as a crucial part of recovery. Darling Allen has often disagreed with the Shasta County Board of Supervisors far-right majority since it voted last January to terminate the county’s contract with Dominion Voting Systems. The controversial action launched a months-long crusade by the board’s majority to eliminate voting machines and get the county to hand count all ballots in local elections. It also brought national attention to Shasta County and at times drove supervisors’ meetings into further chaos and rancor. The attempt to hand count ballots was halted by a state law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2022, banning manual tallying in all but the smallest counties. Darling Allen will serve through the March 5 election before retiring. Read Article

California: Los Angeles County District Attorney to pay $5 million in civil rights case over bungled election conspiracy prosecution | James Queally/Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will pay $5 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by Eugene Yu, the CEO of Michigan software company Konnech. The lawsuit, brought against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, alleged civil rights violations and negligence related to a bungled 2022 prosecution. Yu was indicted on charges of illegally storing L.A. County poll workers’ personal information overseas based largely on conspiracy theories and false claims about working for the Chinese government. The case fell apart less than six weeks later, with prosecutors admitting that True the Vote, the source of the inquiry, provided baseless tips. The settlement, approved by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, includes dropping charges against Yu and a joint petition for a finding of factual innocence. Read Article

The California county where far-right officials tried to upend voting | Dani Anguiano/The Guardian

The Shasta County elections office in California faced heightened security measures during a recent special election, drawing national attention due to far-right politics and unfounded claims of election fraud. The county had planned a manual tally system, but state lawmakers passed a bill preventing manual tallies in most elections. The chair of the Shasta board of supervisors insisted on proceeding, creating tensions and fears of political unrest. Registrar Cathy Darling Allen, who faced harassment and opposition, had to navigate implementing the hand-count system despite its complexity and increased costs. Read Article

California: Election day in Shasta County comes off with little conflict | Hailey Branson-Potts and Jessica Garrison/Los Angeles Times

Shasta County Registrar-Recorder Cathy Darling Allen and her staff prepared for potential conflicts during Tuesday’s election by installing a 7-foot metal fence inside their office. The county had been embroiled in controversies over voting methods, with a far-right majority on the Board of Supervisors opting for a hand count over using Dominion voting machines, a decision that was later overruled by state officials. Despite concerns, the election proceeded relatively calmly, with minimal conflicts reported. About two dozen supporters of Darling Allen showed up to ensure the security of the vote count. Ultimately, fewer than 20% of eligible voters participated in the election, and the results are expected to be certified by November 22. Read Article

California: Shasta County’s ballot counting controversy came to a surprising end Tuesday. What happened? | Damon Arthur and David Benda/Redding Record Searchlight

The election in Shasta County gained significance due to a dispute over how to count the ballots, drawing observers from across the state. The main focus was selecting a new member for the Gateway Unified School District board and deciding on a new fire protection district in Shasta. The disagreement led to Shasta County becoming the only one in the state to tally votes by hand, a decision opposed by Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen. Despite a new law against hand counting, Chairman Patrick Jones threatened legal action to continue it. Voter advocacy groups expressed concerns about integrity, prompting observers from various organizations. Media coverage highlighted the statewide importance of the election. Read Article

California: Shasta County ditched its Dominion voting machines. Now, residents are braced for turmoil on Nov. 7 | Jessica Garrison and Hailey Branson-Potts/Los Angeles Times

Shasta County, with a predominantly Republican population, is on edge as it nears its local election, with concerns of potential unrest or violence. The Board of Supervisors, leaning far-right, aimed to hand-count ballots after unproven voter fraud claims, but Governor Newsom intervened and signed a law limiting counties from doing so. The county registrar, Cathy Darling Allen, plans to follow state law and use newly purchased machines, which has sparked outrage among residents subscribing to election fraud conspiracy theories. This situation is emblematic of the larger trend of election officials facing threats and intimidation across the country. The standoff in Shasta is closely watched as a precursor to the 2024 elections, and experts express concern over the escalating rhetoric and division in modern American democracy. Read Article

California: Shasta County voting machines: An accusation of ‘staged chaos’ rings out at tense meeting | David Benda/Redding Record Searchlight

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors in California is grappling with internal divisions and controversies surrounding election procedures, particularly in the wake of a decision to switch from Dominion Voting Systems to Hart InterCivic. Board Chair Patrick Jones, along with two other supervisors, had advocated for hand-counted ballots, leading to tension and allegations of misinformation. Critics argue that the board majority’s focus on issues like Second Amendment rights, COVID-19 mandates, and election security is causing unnecessary discord and diverting attention from more pressing matters like the homeless crisis, crime, and jail capacity. The situation reflects a broader trend of political polarization and controversial local decision-making. Read Article

California: Voting Rights Advocates Ask Secretary of State To Monitor Shasta County’s Upcoming Elections | Annelise Pierce/Shasta Scout

Six nonprofit voting rights advocacy groups have formally requested California’s Secretary of State, Shirley Weber, to oversee and support the upcoming elections in Shasta County, California. They specifically ask for in-person monitoring during both the November 2023 and March 2024 elections. The coalition of advocacy organizations expressed serious concerns about the stability of Shasta County’s election system and highlighted misinformation and disinformation circulating in public meetings, potentially undermining voters’ confidence. They pointed out the diversion of time and resources from the Shasta County Elections Office staff due to extraordinary pressures, potentially endangering the smooth administration of upcoming elections and voters’ rights. The advocates called for Secretary Weber to provide necessary assistance to the county’s Registrar of Voters and to support voter education efforts in Shasta County. Read Article

California: Legal battle over tallying votes brews as Shasta County’s November special election looms | David Benda/Redding Record Searchlight

Shasta County is facing a legal battle over its plan to manually tally votes, which violates a new state law, AB 969, that essentially bans manual counting of ballots in regular elections with more than 1,000 registered voters. The county chair, Patrick Jones, insists on proceeding with the hand-count system despite warnings from the Secretary of State’s office and the Attorney General’s office that they must comply with the new law. Jones has threatened litigation if the state tries to stop the county. This move is part of a broader trend of new election laws and administrative changes, some of which have faced legal challenges. Read Article

California bill limiting ballot hand counting becomes law; Shasta County pledges to defy statute | Nicholas Kerr/ABC

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law that restricts the ability of local governments to manually count ballots, a move prompted by Shasta County’s decision to terminate its contract with Dominion Voting Systems and opt for hand-tabulation. The new law, AB 969, limits hand-counting to specific circumstances, such as regularly scheduled elections in places with under 1,000 registered voters and special elections with fewer than 5,000 voters. It also prevents counties from canceling contracts for voting systems without a transition plan and finalized agreement for a new state-approved system. This decision comes after unsubstantiated conspiracy theories led Shasta County to terminate its contract with Dominion, leaving it without an election system for a period. The move to hand-count would have been an immense undertaking given California’s often complex and lengthy ballots, and it is now legally prohibited. Read Article

California: Divided Redding City Council authorizes letter to Shasta County about costs of hand counting ballots. Who’ll sign? | David Benda/Redding Record Searchlight

Redding Mayor Michael Dacquisto and Vice Mayor Mark Mezzano are refusing to sign a letter expressing the city’s concerns about potential cost increases for hand-counting votes, a decision that divided the Redding City Council. Councilors Julie Winter, Tenessa Audette, and Jack Munns voted in favor of sending the letter, which aims to work with the county to develop a more cost-effective voting system that doesn’t strain the general fund. Dacquisto and Mezzano view the letter as a waste of time, with Mezzano indicating he won’t sign it despite being one of its authors. The letter responds to Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen’s estimates that hand-counting would raise Redding’s election costs from $46,630 to $176,645. Dacquisto mentioned Assembly Bill 969, which could eliminate manual tabulations in counties with over 1,000 registered voters, suggesting this would resolve the issue. The letter, however, does not explicitly address the county’s termination of its contract with Dominion Voting Systems or Supervisor Kevin Crye’s stance on the cost estimates. Read Article

California lawmakers vote to limit when local election officials can count ballots by hand | Adam Beam and Christina A. Cassidy/Associated Press

California lawmakers have voted to restrict the circumstances under which local governments can conduct hand counts of election ballots, a move primarily aimed at Shasta County. The county’s conservative-majority board of supervisors decided to terminate its contract with Dominion Voting Systems, citing loss of public confidence in the machines. The recent legislation limits hand counts to specific situations, such as regularly scheduled elections with fewer than 1,000 registered voters or special elections with fewer than 5,000 eligible voters. Critics argue that hand counts are resource-intensive and less precise compared to electronic tabulation. Read Article