Shasta County, California, Voter ID, Hand-Counted Ballots, and Absentee Voting Limits Initiative (June 2026)

Shasta County Voter ID, Hand-Counted Ballots, and Absentee Voting Limits Initiative
Election date June 2, 2026
Topic Local election administration and governance and Local voter ID policy
Status On the ballot
Type Initiative

Shasta County Voter ID, Hand-Counted Ballots, and Absentee Voting Limits Initiative is on the ballot as an initiative in Shasta County on June 2, 2026.

A "yes" vote supports this ballot initiative to add several election and voting policies to the Shasta County Charter, including: require that elections be held in-person on a single day, except for absentee voters; require voters to present a photo ID when voting in person;  limit who can cast an absentee ballot to "the infirm, military, and US citizens living overseas;" require that all ballots be hand-counted at the precinct level; and require the county maintain voter rolls on a computer not connected to the state or any third party, among other changes.

A "no" vote opposes this ballot initiative to add several election and voting policies to the Shasta County Charter.

Election results

Shasta County Voter ID, Hand-Counted Ballots, and Absentee Voting Limits Initiative
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		0	0.00%
No		0	0.00%

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Voter ID, Hand-Counted Ballots, and Absentee Voting Limits Initiative is as follows:

“

LOCAL ELECTION TRANSPARENCY AND SECURITY REFORM The measure would require that elections at the local level shall take place on a single day limited to in person voting with limited absentee balloting. Ballots shall be hand counted at the precinct level using citizen volunteers, counting in teams of 4 volunteers. Ballot tallies shall be visible to observers of the election. Counting shall continue until results are obtained on election night or thereafter and results shall be published at that time. Voter ID shall be required to vote; voter rolls shall be locally controlled without connection to the internet or State of California. Upon adoption of the measure a new voter roll shall be created and maintained locally. Paper poll books shall be used to check in voters at the precinct level.

”

Full text

The following is the full text of the charter amendment:

Note: Use your mouse to scroll over the text below to view the ballot language.

Add an amendment to the Shasta County Charter that specifies elections shall be held on one day with limited absentee ballots (defined as limited exceptions to in-person voting for the infirm, military, and US citizens living overseas). All ballots shall be hand counted at the precincts, according to California Election Codes 15272-15281, utilizing the tally book format in Linda Rantz’ Return to Hand Counting manual (pg 141-176). The ballots and the tally sheets shall be projected onto monitors so that observers can confirm the accuracy of the count. Precinct manual hand count results will be used for the official canvass of Shasta County. Counting teams of four shall be composed of two Democrats and two Republicans, when possible. Counting shall occur concurrent with voting (after 11 or more ballots have been cast and shuffled) but tallies shall not be released until polls close, at which point the first numbers will be taped to the door, and updated every hour thereafter until counting is complete. County-wide election outcomes shall be provided on the night of the election, or shortly thereafter. Hand counters shall be members of the public from any political party, selected by a fair and transparent public lottery of volunteers, sixty days prior to election day. Hand counters shall wear a name tag with their first and last name visible to the public. Hand counters shall be volunteers with no expectation of payment, however, the County may offer them a stipend of no more than $100 dollars for their participation on election day.

Shasta County voter rolls shall be maintained on a computer not connected to the State of California, nor any other third party. A new voter roll shall be created upon implementation of this measure. The voter rolls shall be maintained on a computer with open-source software that is not connected to the internet (through cable or wireless modem) with periodic back-up onto external hard drives. Only paper poll books shall be used to check in voters on election day. Voter rolls shall be kept clean by permanently removing individuals who are deceased, moved out of county lines, or have addresses that are undeliverable. Inactive and canceled voter lists shall be held within a separate database on a different computer, also not connected to the internet. Only US citizens shall register to vote, using a government-issued photo ID. All voters shall produce this ID to verify they are on the voter roll on election day. Third party and DMV voter registrations shall not be added to Shasta County voter rolls until verified for eligibility.

Sponsors

Save Shasta Elections is leading the campaign in support of the ballot initiative.

Background

Assembly Bill 969 (2023)

On October 4, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 969 (AB 969), which prohibited election officials from conducting a manual vote count during the semifinal official canvass in elections with more than 1,000 registered voters and required officials to use state-certified voting machines or systems. In the state Senate, the vote was 31-6. In the Assembly, the vote was 62-14. One Republican in each chamber joined Democrats in supporting AB 969, while other Republicans opposed the legislation.

Senate Bill 1174 (2024)

On September 29, 2024, Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 1174 (SB 1174), which prohibited local governments from passing laws to require people to present identification to vote. In the state Senate, the vote was 30-8. In the state Assembly, the vote was 57-16. Democrats supported, and Republicans opposed, the legislation.

Huntington Beach Measure 1

See also: Huntington Beach, California, Measure 1, Voter ID and Election Rules Amendment (March 2024)

On March 5, 2024, voters in Huntington Beach, California, approved Measure 1, which required voter identification for elections. The vote was 53.4% 'Yes' to 46.6% 'No.'

California v. Huntington Beach

On November 3, 2025, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that the provision of Measure 1 requiring voter ID violated state election law. The ruling stated, "In recent years, a vigorous nationwide debate has arisen over whether voters should be required to present identification at the polls to vote. We are not called upon to resolve this debate. Instead, this case presents us a much narrower, simpler question: Is voter identification a matter of 'integrity of the electoral process,' which our Supreme Court has held is a matter of statewide concern, whether presented in statewide or local elections? We conclude it is, and that as a result [SB 1174] preempts section 705, subdivision (a)(2) of the Huntington Beach City Charter, which purports to permit Huntington Beach to require voters to present identification to vote in municipal elections." The California Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal on January 28, 2026.

Earlier, on April 15, 2024, Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) filed litigation against Huntington Beach over Measure 1 in the Orange County Superior Court. He said, "The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy and Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy flies in the face of this principle." Bonta also wrote that state law preempted Measure 1. He stated, "[Measure 1] purports to authorize the City to demand supplemental documentation from registered voters before they cast a ballot, usurping the Legislature’s exclusive authority over voter registration, placing the onus on registered voters to establish their eligibility to vote, and groundlessly challenging the right to vote. This additional burden on voters cannot be reconciled with state law."

Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates responded, "The people of Huntington Beach have made their voices clear on this issue and the people's decision on the March 5th ballot measures for election integrity is final. To that end, the city will vigorously uphold and defend the will of the people."

On November 15, 2024, Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas ruled against California, stating that Huntington Beach could implement the ballot measure. After the superior court denied the petition for a writ of mandate, Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) appealed the decision to the California Fourth District Court of Appeal.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

This measure was put on the ballot through a successful citizen petition.

• March 5, 2025: Proponents—Laura Hobbs, Deidre Holliday, Kari Chilson, Jim Burnett, and Rich Gallardo—filed a notice of intent to circulate a petition to propose a charter amendment.

• March 13, 2025: County Counsel Joseph Larmour filed a complaint in Shasta County Superior Court, arguing that the ballot initiative was unconstitutional. Supervisor Chris Kelstrom said the litigation was filed because "[o]ur county counsel has a bound duty to write a summary of this and to get it onto a ballot. He cannot ethically write that summary because it would be misleading the public in thinking that somehow we can put something on our charter and ignore state and federal laws. So the lawsuit is basically seeking relief to not have to write that summary."

• March 19, 2025: Judge Benjamin Hanna rejected the county's request for an expedited decision, stating, "This is too important of an issue for the court to make a decision on an expedited basis." Laura Hobbs, who co-sponsored the ballot initiative, said, "We felt that we were being targeted politically, and that was an intimidation tactic, and fortunately it did not succeed today."

• March 21, 2025: The Board of Supervisors dropped the complaint, and County Counsel Larmour issued a ballot title and summary. He said, "As a result of the court denying the request for stay, county counsel’s office has already delivered the title and summary as required by law."

• September 16, 2025: Supporters of the ballot initiative filed 10,110 signatures. At least 6,852 needed to be projected as valid based on a random sample.

• October 24, 2025: Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis reported that an estimated 8,695 signatures, or 86%, were verified.

• November 6, 2025: The Shasta County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution placing the initiative on the ballot for June 2, 2026.

• February 26, 2026: Due to a complaint filed against the initiative, and Judge Benjamin Hanna of the Superior Court of California of the County of Shasta ordering a hearing scheduled after the printing deadline for the initiative on the ballot, the initiative would not make the June 2, 2026 ballot.

Katske v. County of Shasta

Katske v. County of Shasta, et al.

Petition dismissed on March 26, 2026

Court Information
Issue	Do the local election changes in the initiative conflict with California state law?
Court	Superior Court of California, County of Shasta
Ruling
Ruling	Judge Benjamin Hanna dismissed the case, holding that pre-election removal was unjustified per court precedent.
Order(s)	Order: Superior Court of California, County of Shasta (March 26, 2026)
Participants
Plaintiff(s)	Jennifer Katske
Defendant(s)	County of Shasta, et al.

On February 26, 2026, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Hanna ruled that preparations to place the initiative on the June 2, 2026, ballot should be paused until a hearing on April 10, 2026. Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis said the ballot printing deadline is April 2, and that a hearing scheduled for April 10 could affect whether the initiative appears on the June 2, 2026, ballot. On March 4, Judge Hanna lifted the restraining order.

On March 26, 2026, Judge Hanna dismissed the case. He wrote, "Pre-election review resulting in the potential removal of an otherwise qualified ballot initiative is an extraordinary remedy. No less an authority than our own state supreme court has explained that “as a general rule, ‘it is generally more appropriate to review constitutional and other challenges to ballot propositions or initiative measures after an election rather than to disrupt the electoral process by preventing the exercise of the people’s franchise, in the absence of some clear showing of invalidity.'"

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in California

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in California.

How to vote in California

Poll times

All polls in California are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in California, an individual must be a U.S. citizen and California resident, not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony, and not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court. A voter must be at least 18 years of age on Election Day. Pre-registration is available at 16 years of age. Pre-registered voters are automatically registered to vote when they turn 18.

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

California automatically registers eligible individuals to vote when they complete a driver's license, identification (ID) card, or change of address transaction through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Learn more by visiting this website.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

California has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

California allows same-day voter registration.

Californians must be registered to vote at least 15 days before Election Day. If the registration deadline has passed for an upcoming election, voters may visit a county elections office, polling place, or vote center during the 14 days prior to, and including Election Day to conditionally register to vote and vote a provisional ballot, which are counted once county election officials have completed the voter registration verification process. The state refers to this process as Same Day Voter Registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in California, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

California's constitution requires that voters be U.S. citizens. When registering to vote, proof of citizenship is not required. Individuals who become U.S. citizens less than 15 days before an election must bring proof of citizenship to their county elections office to register to vote in that election. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

As of October 2025, two jurisdictions in California had authorized noncitizen residents to vote for local board of education positions through local ballot measures. Only one of those jurisdictions, San Francisco, had implemented that law. Noncitizens voting for board of education positions must register to vote using a separate application from the state voter registration application.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Eight states — Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming — have laws requiring individuals provide proof of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. Two states, Georgia and Mississippi, require a person provide proof of citizenship if their citizenship status cannot be verified by other means. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The secretary of state's My Voter Status website allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

California does not require voters to present identification before casting a ballot in most cases.

On September 29, 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 1174 into law prohibiting any jurisdiction in the state from adopting a local law that requires voters to present ID before voting.

The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.

These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.

The following list of accepted ID to comply with HAVA requirements was current as of October 2025. Click here for the California Secretary of State page to ensure you have the most current information.

“

Current and valid photo identification provided by a third party in the ordinary course of business that includes the name and photograph of the individual presenting it. Examples of photo identification include, but are not limited to, the following documents: driver's license or identification card of any state; passport; employee identification card; identification card provided by a commercial establishment; credit or debit card; military identification card; student identification card; health club identification card; insurance plan identification card; or public housing identification card. Any of the following documents, provided that the document includes the name and address of the individual presenting it, and is dated since the date of the last general election…: utility bill; bank statement; government check; government paycheck; document issued by a governmental agency; sample ballot or other official elections document issued by a governmental agency dated for the election in which the individual is providing it as proof of residency or identity; voter notification card issued by a governmental agency; public housing identification card issued by a governmental agency; lease or rental statement or agreement issued by a governmental agency; student identification card issued by a governmental agency; tuition statement or bill issued by a governmental agency; insurance plan card or drug discount card issued by a governmental agency; discharge certificates, pardons, or other official documents issued to the individual by a governmental agency in connection with the resolution of a criminal case, indictment, sentence, or other matter; public transportation authority senior citizen and disabled discount cards issued by a governmental agency; identification documents issued by governmental disability agencies; identification documents issued by government homeless shelters and other government temporary or transitional facilities; drug prescription issued by a government doctor or other governmental health care provider; property tax statement issued by a governmental agency; vehicle registration issued by a governmental agency; or vehicle certificate of ownership issued by a governmental agency.

”

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2026
• Local elections and campaigns ballot measures

California

• California 2026 local measures
• Local ballot measures, California
• Shasta County, California

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas