Tina Peters Hired as Elections Consultant in Shasta County

Shasta County, a region in northern California known for its activism among those who question the integrity of voting machines, is set to appoint Tina Peters as an elections consultant. Peters, a prominent figure in the election denial movement from Colorado, was recently released from prison. Clint Curtis, the chief election official for Shasta County, informed The Guardian that he intends to hire Peters to fill the role of his top deputy, Brent Turner, who is currently on medical leave. Curtis specified that Peters would not be granted access to the county's voting system. The initial report regarding Shasta County's plans to hire Peters came from Action News Now. Tina Peters gained notoriety for her role in the 2020 election in Mesa County, Colorado, where she was accused of tampering with voting equipment. In August 2023, she was convicted of misdemeanor obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice. She was subsequently sentenced to 15 days in jail and 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $1,000 in fines. Her conviction stemmed from her actions in allowing an unauthorized person to download data from Dominion voting machines in Mesa County. This data was later shared online by election deniers, who claimed it proved widespread fraud. Peters maintained her innocence throughout the legal proceedings, asserting that she was acting in the public interest to ensure election integrity. Her appointment in Shasta County comes at a time when election administration is a subject of intense scrutiny and political debate across the United States. Shasta County itself has been a focal point for election-related activism, with some residents advocating for alternative voting methods and questioning the security of current systems. The county's board of supervisors has previously considered measures related to election security and transparency, reflecting the broader national discourse. Curtis's decision to hire Peters, despite her conviction and public profile as an election denier, signals a potential alignment with the county's activist base and a departure from traditional approaches to election administration. The move is likely to draw significant attention and potential criticism from those who advocate for established electoral processes and the safeguarding of voting systems against partisan interference. The specific duties Peters will undertake as a consultant, beyond replacing Turner on an interim basis, remain to be fully detailed, but Curtis's assurance that she will not have access to voting systems aims to mitigate immediate concerns about the security of the electoral process.