A manual tally was completed Monday on a random 1% sample of Shasta County ballots. The sample used to be selected by a machine but this time it was done by Assistant Registrar Brent Turner pulling ping pong balls out of a container. The procedure was supposed to be done within 10 days of the election, so it was three days late. Registrar Clint Curtis claims the proper procedure was not followed in previous administrations. He also has implied that the previous security measures in place to protect ballots actually facilitated corruption and ballot tampering, of which there has never been any evidence. As of Monday the Secretary of State was told that 65,138 ballots had been counted with 658 remaining to count and 400 to cure, meaning errors or inconsistencies need to be addressed. The numbers mean Shasta County had a turnout of around 56% of registered voters.
-Steve Gibson