State officials argued that a Shasta County ballot initiative violated state election laws and needed to be struck down before the November general election
State officials argued that a Shasta County ballot initiative violated state election laws and needed to be struck down before the November general election A vast majority of California voters cast ballots by mail or drop off completed ballots in special boxes offered by each county. That includes Shasta County, where about 90% of voters in the November 2025 special election mailed or dropped off their ballots, according to state data. Shown: Shasta County courthouse. Photo: See page for author , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons California officials have sued to block a measure approved by Shasta County voters that would end most mail voting, require voters to present government-issued photo identification to register and to vote, and mandate the hand-counting of ballots. In their lawsuit, state officials argued that the Shasta County ballot initiative, Measure B, which passed in June with 55% of the vote, violated state election laws and needed to be struck down before the November general election. The lawsuit was filed in California's 3rd District Court of Appeal on Friday by Attorney General Rob Bonta and the state's top elections official, Secretary of State Shirley Weber. The five proponents of Measure B, who are named as "real parties in interest" in the lawsuit, said in a statement that the litigation "is just one more stark demonstration of the crushing hostility and contempt that our elected officials hold for citizens who use the initiative process to improve elections and safeguard their freedom." Measure B's supporters included the county's current clerk and registrar of voters, Clint Curtis, who was ousted by voters in the same June election in which the measure was passed. The newly elected registrar, a longtime elections official named Joanna Francescut, had been fired by Curtis. A Shasta County spokesperson said the county was unable to comment on ongoing litigation. A vast majority of California voters cast ballots by mail or drop off completed ballots in special boxes offered by each county. That includes Shasta County, where about 90% of voters in the November 2025 special election mailed or dropped off their ballots, according to state data. Proponents of mail-in balloting say it expands access to voters who might struggle to make it to the polls in person on Election Day, whether because of age, disability or the inability to get away from other responsibilities to wait in line. President Donald Trump, though, has repeatedly decried mail-in voting, making baseless claims that mail ballots lead to fraudulent results. Trump and many Republican lawmakers are also pushing for tougher voter identification laws as part of a proposed package of federal restrictions on voting that Republicans are trying to pass ahead of the November midterms. In addition to its vote-by-mail and identification rules, Shasta County's Measure B would also mandate that ballots be counted by hand and separate the county's voter registration system from the state's. As the Board of Supervisors is set to review and amend the proposed city budget this month, advocates in the neighborhood are seeking to save their safety nets
