A controversial measure that would mandate voter ID and other rules in Shasta County that run counter to state and federal election laws was winning voter approval by a wide margin with unofficial results from all precincts reporting.
Measure B collected 55.63% yes votes, while the no votes had 44.37%, according to results from all 68 precincts.
It is likely that the measure will be challenged in the courts if it passes.
Results coming in from the Tuesday, June 2, primary election dragged on into early Wednesday morning, June 3, with the county releasing its final update just after 3:30 a.m. More ballots still need to be counted in the coming days. Those include vote-by-mail and provisional.
The local charter amendment would require in-person voting with limited exceptions, mandate that ballots be counted by hand and make voters produce a government-issued photo ID at the polls.
The issue has been contentious.
In February, Jennifer Katske, an ICU nurse, sued the Shasta County Board of Supervisors and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis in an attempt to keep Measure B off the ballot, saying that should it be approved, litigation will follow and cost taxpayers money in the form of legal fees.
Katske on May 18 filed a second Measure B-related lawsuit against Curtis and the board of supervisors, along with five others who want the measure included on the primary ballot — Laura Hobbs, Deidre Holliday, Kari Chilson, Jim Burnett and Richard Gallardo. That lawsuit alleges conflict of interest and requests a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
Late Wednesday, May 27, Katske distributed a legal notice saying that she had filed “a request for voluntary dismissal without prejudice” of the May lawsuit.
The Record Searchlight’s Michele Chandler contributed to this report.
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: Contentious Shasta County voting measure enjoys big lead
Reporting by David Benda and Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By David Benda and Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
