Election denier likely loses job in Shasta County. But voters back hand-counting ballots
Shasta County voters appear to have ousted a controversial elections chief who promotes conspiracy theories about voter fraud, even as they approved a ballot measure that would require hand-counting ballots and voter ID, conflicting with California election law.
If the results hold, Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis, who has advocated for the initiative, will remain in office until the end of the year. On Wednesday, former elections office worker Joanna Francescut was leading Curtis with about 56% of the vote. She’s on track to win the race outright because they were the only candidates on the primary election ballot.
His loss would set the stage for a tense November election. The conspiracy-minded elections chief will remain in charge of the office after a bitter defeat — with nothing to lose in a county that is already a national hotspot for election deniers.
Tuesday’s election also was marked by lengthy vote-reporting delays, and a local journalist raised concerns about the threat of future violence at elections offices after the editor of the nonprofit Shasta Scout newspaper reported that she saw an election worker activate what appeared to be a stun gun.
https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/california-primary-election-shasta-county/