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Shasta supervisors certify petition, vote 5-0 to place local election-transparency measure on June 2, 2026 ballot
Summary
The board accepted a certificate of sufficiency for a charter petition that would enact local election-transparency and security reforms (petitioners said they gathered more than 10,000 signatures) and voted unanimously to place the measure on the June 2, 2026 ballot; county counsel warned of likely legal challenges.
The Shasta County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Nov. 6 to place a locally originated election-transparency and security charter amendment on the June 2, 2026 ballot after the Registrar of Voters certified the petition as sufficient. County staff described the item as a ministerial action under state election law once sufficient signatures are verified.
Petition proponents told the board they had gathered more than 10,000 verified signatures and urged the board to either schedule a special election sooner or place the amendment on the June ballot so reforms (including proposals such as voter ID, same-day voting and hand-counted ballots) could be implemented in time for upcoming primaries. "We submitted over 10,000 signatures verified, valid, and sufficient by the register of voters," one petitioner said during the public comment period.
County Counsel and other speakers warned that the measure may face immediate legal challenges; several speakers urged the board to seek a legal opinion on charter timing and signature collection practices. Counsel advised that the board’s duty to place a certified petition on the ballot is ministerial and that legal challenges to the petition’s substance or timing would be adjudicated in court.
In a roll-call vote, Supervisors Long, Kaelstrom, Krey, Harmon and Plummer voted yes to place the certified petition on the June 2, 2026 ballot (5-0). The board took no position on the merits of the measure itself; placing the item on the ballot will allow voters to decide whether to adopt the local charter amendment. County staff noted that scheduling a special election earlier would increase administrative costs and logistical burden on the Registrar of Voters.
What’s next: The petition will appear on the June 2, 2026 ballot as ordered. The county may receive litigation challenging the petition’s legality or timing; counsel said the proper response would be to defend ministerial duties in court if challenged.
