With only a few thousand ballots left to count in the June 2 primary election, Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis appeared to have reached a point of no return in the county clerk race.
Curtis, on the evening of June 8, was trailing opponent Joanna Francescut by nearly 7,800 votes, according to unofficial voter results. A counter on the election results website said there were 2,523 ballots left to count in the election, making it unlikely for Curtis to receive enough votes to win.
Francescut said in an interview with the Record Searchlight that she’s grateful for the community and those who voted for her and is looking forward to potentially returning to the elections office.
If she wins, Francescut, who formerly served as assistant county clerk and registrar of voters before being fired by Curtis in May 2025, would begin the role in early January 2027.
Curtis was not able to be reached for comment on the topic.
The Measure B, a controversial measure that would mandate voter ID and other rules in Shasta County that run counter to state and federal election laws, also solidified its win.
Yes votes for the measure outnumbered no votes by over 5,300, meaning that the measure will pass even if the remaining 2,523 ballots voted no.
The races for supervisorial Districts 1 and 5 looked to be coming to an end soon as well, with vote totals approaching, and in one case surpassing, the totals from the 2022 primary election.
In the District 1 race — which has pit incumbent Supervisor Kevin Crye against Redding Councilwoman Erin Resner and conservative political activist Richard Gallardo — 8,743 votes were tallied, while in the 2022 primary election there were a total of 8,350 votes cast in the District 1 election.
Resner held a lead of 54.54%, followed in second by Crye with 38.21%, and Gallardo in last with 7.25%.
To win, candidates need to receive over 50% of votes cast. If no candidate wins, the top two vote-getters will move on to the general election on Nov. 3.
It is unknown how many votes are left to be cast specifically in the District 1 election.
At minimum, Crye and Gallardo would need to collectively receive over 790 additional votes, as well as match any additional votes for Resner to force a runoff election between Crye and Resner.
In the District 5 race — in which incumbent Supervisor Chris Kelstrom has faced challengers Anderson Councilman Mike Gallagher and political newcomer Gary Oxley — 9,072 votes were tallied, while in the 2022 primary election there were a total of 9,184 votes cast in the District 5 election.
Gallagher led with 49.10%, followed by Kelstrom with 41.19%, and Oxley in last with 9.71%.
Similar to the District 1 race, candidates in the District 5 race need to receive over 50% of votes cast to win, otherwise the top two candidates will go to a runoff.
It is unknown how many votes are left to be cast specifically in the District 5 election.
More votes totals are expected to be released at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday June 9.
This story was updated to add new information.
Drew Askeland covers Redding and Shasta County government issues, as well as anything else that needs reporting for the Record Searchlight and USA Today Network. Reach him at drew.askeland@redding.com or (530) 225-8247. Please subscribe today to support our newsroom’s commitment to public service journalism.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County clerk race nears end, with Francescut in lead
Reporting by Drew Askeland, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Drew Askeland, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
