The county elections commission voted 4-1 on Monday to send a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors advocating for hand counting ballots. That’s according to Susanne Baremore, a Shasta County resident and the lone dissenting vote on the commission.
The report submitted to supervisors cited a number of election fraud conspiracy theorists and a need to restore confidence in local elections. That’s despite the county’s registrar of voters, Cathy Darling Allen, winning her most recent re-election in 2022 by almost 70% of the vote.
“It is incumbent on the County to dictate the manner in which elections are conducted,” the report said.
The commission said the county should hand-count election ballots, rather than use machines.
Shasta County supervisors already tried to have election officials hand-count ballots last year, a process that has been found to be more expensive, more time consuming and less accurate than using machines.
That effort triggered the passage of a new state law banning the hand-counting of ballots in most California elections.
Monday’s recommendation claims that state law violates the county’s rights. It cites a state election code that grants a governing board the authority to use a voting system of its choice. But, California law also requires such a system to be certified by the Secretary of State, which does not include hand-counting.
The commission’s recommendation now heads to the Board of Supervisors, which would have to enact any kind of ordinance.
