Significant obstacles lie in the way of Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis’ plan to hire in a consulting role Tina Peters, the former Colorado county clerk who served time in prison for tampering with election equipment.
Those hurdles include the staunch disapproval of California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, an assistant registrar of voters blindsided by the announcement, and budgeting adjustments that will need to be approved by the county.
Peters was convicted of four felonies and three misdemeanors in October 2024 for allowing a man affiliated with My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell to misuse a security card and gain access to voting equipment and copy sensitive data in 2021. The voting machine data and passwords were later leaked on social media.
Peters’ nine-year sentence for a breach of voting systems in Mesa County, Colorado was cut in half by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on May 15, and Peters was released from custody on parole on June 1.
Asked if the Secretary of State’s Office has any authority to step in should Peters be hired, neither Weber nor her press team directly addressed the question in a response on Aug. 17.
Weber did, however, address Curtis’ plan in a statement.
“The mere thought of letting someone near any part of California’s elections when that person was convicted of serious election-related crimes while serving as an election official, is simply outrageous,” said Weber.
Assistant Registrar of Voters Brent Turner, whom Curtis said Peters would be replacing, told the Record Searchlight on Aug. 18 that he has no intention of resigning.
Turner said he was blindsided by the announcement and looks forward to continuing to serve Shasta County.
Curtis had said in the past that Turner would be leaving his position due to health issues, and that Peters would be brought in to replace him as a consultant.
Because of this distinction between the positions of assistant registrar of voters and consultant, Turner’s decision to stay in office would not necessarily pose an issue to hiring Peters in this newly created position.
However, to create the consulting position for Peters, Curtis would need to get it budgeted and approved by Shasta County.
Public Information Officer and Legislative Coordinator Miranda Angel told the newspaper on Aug. 18 that a consulting position at the elections department is not currently budgeted, and it would need to be approved by County Executive Officer David Rickert or the Shasta County Board of Supervisors.
Regardless of whether Curtis planned to hire Peters in a new consulting position or in Turner’s role, Deputy County Executive Officer Stewart Buettell told the Record Searchlight on Aug. 17, “Any prospective employee or consultant would go through the same hiring process as anyone else seeking employment with the County.”
According to the county’s “Application and Selection Procedures” webpage, a preliminary offer of employment “is conditioned on the results of a background investigation.” However, under the county’s current rules, Curtis would have the final say on hiring an applicant.
According to Support Services Director Monica Fugitt, as the elections chief, Curtis has the authority to decide who to hire in his department.
The date of Peters’ potential onboarding is also in limbo.
While Curtis originally told media that Peters would take office on Sept. 4, he told the Record Searchlight on Aug. 18 that he is back in negotiations with Peters over the position.
As a condition of Peters’ parole, she cannot change her place of residence or travel outside the state of Colorado without approval from her parole officer.
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 elections official surprised by plan to replace him with felon
Reporting by Drew Askeland, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Drew Askeland, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
