Shasta County Plans to Hire Convicted Felon Tina Peters as Election Official
Clint Curtis, the registrar for voters in Shasta County, California, plans to hire Tina Peters, a former Mesa County, Colorado election official, as an assistant registrar next month. Peters has been convicted of seven felonies, including identity theft, breaking into an election office, and stealing voting system software.
Background on Tina Peters
Peters had been serving a 9-year sentence for her crimes, but her sentence was commuted by Governor Jared Polis earlier this year. Polis cited pressure from the Trump administration and argued that Peters' punishment violated her First Amendment rights. However, election experts have called Peters' theft of voting system software one of the most serious breaches of election systems in history.
Peters shared the stolen code with conservative activists, and it eventually surfaced online. Her prosecutor, Colorado's state clemency advisory board, and Mesa County officials have all defended her sentence and described her as entirely unrepentant for her crimes.
Concerns Over Election Integrity
The planned hire has sparked concerns over election integrity and potential breaches of election systems. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff wrote to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber to express their "grave concern" over the possibility that Peters would have access to state election systems.
"If Shasta County puts Ms. Peters in a position to again violate election laws following her convictions, county taxpayers could be burdened with unwelcomed and potentially hefty expenses," Padilla and Schiff wrote. "If county officials proceed with this misguided plan, we request that you provide the maximum oversight possible to ensure that Ms. Peters does not improperly access ballots, voting systems, or sensitive information that could impact the rights and privacy of the over 100,000 registered voters in Shasta County in violation of state or federal election law."
Shasta County's History of Election Controversies
Shasta County has a history of election controversies, with Donald Trump winning the county in all three presidential elections dating back to 2016. The county's conservative residents have adopted Trump's rhetoric that election fraud, voting machine hacks, and other problems plagued the system, and have turned their anger at local officials.
Cathy Darling Allen, Shasta County's former registrar of voters, told CyberScoop in 2024 that she retired after decades of administering elections in the county due to persistent attacks and harassment from voters who embraced baseless election fraud conspiracy theories.
Investigations into Clint Curtis
The Shasta County board of supervisors formally censured Curtis earlier this month following investigations by the county and outside consultant firm The Oppenheimer Group found he was verbally abusive or physically threatening toward staff. At an Aug. 11 public meeting, Shasta County Supervisor Matt Plummer cited more than 700 pages of evidence and more than half a dozen eyewitnesses.
The investigations included claims that Curtis at times threatened to "punch," "slap in the face," "kill" or "execute" his subordinates. Another claim alleges Curtis once threatened to remove a door where an employee was allegedly hiding from him and have the person pulled out by their hair.
- Shasta County plans to hire Tina Peters as an assistant registrar despite her conviction for seven felonies.
- Peters' sentence was commuted by Governor Jared Polis earlier this year.
- Election experts have called Peters' theft of voting system software one of the most serious breaches of election systems in history.
- Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff have expressed their "grave concern" over the possibility that Peters would have access to state election systems.
The planned hire has sparked concerns over election integrity and potential breaches of election systems. The Shasta County board of supervisors has formally censured Curtis, and investigations have found him to be verbally abusive or physically threatening toward staff.
She may continue making claims about elections that I believe are false... She may continue promoting ideas that I strongly disagree with. I hope she doesn't. But in America, people are not sent to prison for expressing political views, however misguided those views may be. - Governor Jared Polis
The situation in Shasta County highlights the ongoing challenges and controversies surrounding election integrity and the role of election officials in ensuring the security and fairness of the electoral process.
Source: CyberScoop