Early unofficial results from the Tuesday, June 2 primary election point to change coming to the Shasta County Elections Department.
Former Assistant Clerk and Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut had a nearly 13 percentage point lead over incumbent Clint Curtis after unofficial results from all precincts were released early Wednesday morning, June 3.
Francescut, who was fired by Curtis in May 2025, garnered 56.41% of the vote. Curtis had 43.59% of the vote.
All told, a combined 18,740 ballots were processed in the clerk and registrar of voters race after polls closed. But many more vote-by-mail and provisional ballots remain to be counted over the coming days.
For comparison, in the 2022 primary, election workers counted 49,485 votes in the race between former Clerk and Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen and challenger Bob Holsinger.
Should the margins hold in the 2026 primary, it would be the fifth leadership change in four years in an elections office that has struggled to gain the trust of voters in a deeply red county that is skeptical about election results despite results showing overwhelming support for Donald Trump for president in the last three presidential elections.
That skepticism is playing out in a local voting initiative, Measure B, that appears well on its way to victory. The measure would mandate voter ID and other rules that run counter to state and federal election laws.
Francescut expressed gratitude for the support she had received.
Curtis had an early warning as he reflected on early vote results showing him trailing his challenger.
“I need about 3,000 more votes so far. So apparently the slander tactic worked. But that’s OK, I (can) sue,” said Curtis after the first batch of results were released Tuesday night.
Francescut also noted there are still ballots to be counted.
“As staff continues the hard work of ensuring every eligible ballot is counted and we see the results of the majority of ballots counted, I will reach out to share additional information,” Francescut said.
The Shasta County Board of Supervisors hired Curtis in May 2025. Francescut also interviewed for the job.
Two weeks after Curtis got the job, he terminated Francescut, who had worked for the elections department for 17 years.
Francescut ran the department from December 2023 to June 2024 because former Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling took a leave of absence due to her health and would retire in May 2024.
A month later, in June 2024, Thomas Toller, a local attorney, succeeded Darling Allen after a majority on the board appointed him. Francescut, who also interviewed for the job, stayed on as assistant registrar of voters and gained the trust of Toller, who endorsed her about a month before he retired at the end of April 2025.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly “Buzz on the Street” column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Change coming to Shasta elections office? Many ballots are uncounted
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
