The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 23 approved a $135,961 budget amendment for the Registrar of Voters to add tabulators, lease supporting equipment, and make facility adjustments intended to speed counting and increase public visibility of election work.

The amendment, which requires a four-fifths vote, passed 4-1. Supervisor Patrick Long cast the lone no vote; Supervisors Kevin Krein, Chris Kellstrom, Kevin Harmon and Matt Plummer voted yes.

Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis told the board the funds would “add 3 more tabulators, which will allow us to actually finish the count in 2 hours,” and described other changes at the office intended to separate staff functions and to provide better access for observers. Curtis also said the county would be leasing servers and software that support the tabulators while owning the physical tabulator units themselves.

County staff and outside speakers discussed several operational details that had been raised publicly in prior weeks: whether the county would keep the Agilis envelope-sorting contract, how many tabulators the county must lease or buy, the need for additional security cameras, and how long results would take to post on election night. Chief Information Officer Tom Schreiber said the purchases in the request “follow policy for purchases” and that IT is prepared to install required equipment. Amber Bertain, deputy county executive officer, told the board that savings from canceling portions of the Agilis contract could be reallocated to the elections budget if those amounts were included in the department’s existing budget.

Curtis said the county currently has three tabulators in the building and that adding three more would allow the office to finish major counts about two hours faster; with six tabulators he said staff could process roughly 18,000 ballots per hour. He also told the board the vote-counting workflow and ballot images had already been completed for the upcoming special election and that mail ballots were ready to be mailed.

Public comment at the meeting was extensive and polarized. Dozens of residents urged the board to approve the funds immediately, saying cameras and clearer processes would restore public confidence in elections. Other speakers said the request lacked sufficient vendor contracts and line-item detail, questioned staff transparency and warned against giving a newly elected registrar a “blank check.” Several speakers referenced past court cases and local concerns about unexplained ballot-count discrepancies.

The board and staff discussed timing and auditability. Bertain and County IT said the department has authority to reallocate funds within certain object-level budget categories and that state funding for the special election will be advanced and audited for allowable costs. The county executive’s office noted that any state pre-payment must be used for state-eligible election costs and that leftover funds are reserved for future state election costs, not general purposes.

Supervisor Kellstrom moved to approve the amendment. Supervisor Long seconded the motion; the board voted 4-1 to approve the request.

The board directed staff to proceed with purchases and contract processes in consultation with county counsel and support services. Additional related budget adjustments tied to state reimbursements for the special election will be returned to the board as required.