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Residents and election staff spar over conduct at Shasta County Registrar of Voters office
Summary
Public commenters and at least one elections-office employee clashed at the meeting over alleged off-hours conduct, staff hires and record-access practices in the Registrar of Voters office. Supporters of the registrar pushed back against allegations, and county officials said election preparations remain on track.
Multiple speakers used the public-comment period Tuesday to raise concerns about conduct and staffing in the Shasta County Registrar of Voters office and to demand action by supervisors.
Don Duckett urged the board to "do better" over the appointment of the registrar and called for censure or resignation after describing a surveillance video he said showed after-hours activity in the elections office. "The optics and liability are both unacceptable," Duckett said, describing the footage as an OSHA and security concern.
Brent Turner, identified in the meeting as the assistant registrar, defended office procedures and said visits by the secretary of state's staff found no systemic problems. "I want the public to be rest assured that we' re in good position for the upcoming election," Turner said, adding he had seen no "errant behavior" that affects election security.
Other speakers pressed the board to investigate specific staffing hires. Nathan Blaze and other commenters expressed concern about two newly hired employees and alleged prior dissemination of private information by those individuals; Blaze said those hires made him "a very concerned citizen" and that he feared private voter information could be mishandled.
What the board did: No formal action or personnel decisions were made at the Oct. 28 meeting. Several speakers told the board they had filed complaints with state agencies; one speaker said OSHA was already investigating an alleged facilities violation. County staff and election office representatives told the board they were preparing for the upcoming election and that state observers had not identified unresolvable security problems.
