Shasta County Registrar Plans to Hire Convicted Official Tina Peters

Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis plans to hire Tina Peters as an elections consultant. Peters is a former election official from Mesa County, Colorado, who was recently released from prison after Governor Jared Polis commuted her sentence for multiple felonies and misdemeanors involving the breaching of voting equipment.

Curtis stated that Peters will not have access to the county voting system. The move comes as Curtis prepares to leave office after being ousted by voters in favor of Joanna Francescut. Curtis has previously faced censure from the Shasta County board of supervisors for personnel rule violations and allegations of creating a hostile work environment.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla criticized the appointment. Griswold described the situation as troubling given Peters' history of breaching equipment, while Padilla called for the hiring to be stopped immediately, alleging a connection to election mischief. Shasta County has a history of attempting to eliminate vote-by-mail and implement hand-count systems, though the state of California blocked those efforts.