The citizen-led petition for election reform will be on the June 2, 2026 ballot! Vote Yes on Measure B for election reform!!
November 6, 2025
****PRESS RELEASE****
Today the Shasta County Board of Supervisors performed their ministerial duty to add our election reform initiative to the ballot.
Unlike the highly unpopular city tax measure that got placed on the ballot immediately for a special election, our initiative will be voted on by the people during the regularly scheduled June 2, 2026 primary election.
Citizens followed state law and the California Constitution in collecting over 10,000 signatures in overwhelming support of this measure and it was certified before the board today as sufficient.
The board missed an opportunity to either enact the measure immediately or hold a special election (according to Ca Election Code 9118, and 1405b). Nevertheless, the proponents of this measure are satisfied that the people will eventually have their say and the measure will pass in June.
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October 23, 2025
***PRESS RELEASE***
After receiving over 10,000 signatures, the Shasta County petition for election reform was officially certified by the Registrars of Voters today. This local measure will now be placed before the voters in the next election. If successful, Shasta County will implement local control of their elections which will include voter ID, same day election results, and clean voter rolls.
Please email the Board of Supervisors and tell them to fully support the entirety of this initiative.
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*** Press Release***
Re: Citizens Submit Petition for Shasta County Charter Amendment on Election Reform
Today, Shasta Election Task Force (SETF) submitted over 10,000 signatures from voters to amend our county charter to enact local election reform and control including voter ID, same day election results, and clean voter rolls. The full text can be found at SaveShastaElections.Org. There is overwhelming public support for this petition which was a volunteer and grass roots effort. We are proud of our volunteers and fellow voters that made this happen.
Election integrity is currently in the forefront at all levels of government (national, state, and local) as never seen before. Lack of action on election integrity by our local government has necessitated a citizen-led election reform petition.
As a Charter County, we have a unique opportunity to conduct municipal affairs in a way that is different than the State of California. Article 11 of the California Constitution protects this right and defines elections as a municipal affair. Charter counties and cities in California can use this as a pathway to sovereignty in a State that continues to erode the right of citizens.
Based on statistical sampling, we believe that the Shasta County Registrar (ROV) will certify the petition as sufficient. When this process is completed, the Board of Supervisors will have the ministerial and legal duty to call for an election that will likely occur during the June 2026 primary, if not before.
The County Board of Supervisors actively fought against this initiative when they sued the Proponents who brought forth this petition. The Board is also currently fighting against local election integrity in the Ladd vs. Toller case.
It is time for ALL elected officials to represent the people they serve and fight for election integrity, especially at the local level.
We ask that ALL citizens join this effort to stand in the gap of elected officials that have failed to actually represent the people they serve and affirmatively fight for election integrity. Without a fair and transparent election, nothing else matters.
The petition turned in today is dedicated to the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk.
You can read and watch the coverage at the following links:
Robert Exter video KRCR story Record Searchlight story Action News Now story
Richard Gallardo
Chair - saveshastaelections.org
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April 13, 2025
**SHASTA COUNTY CITIZENS LAUNCH PETITION DRIVE FOR ELECTION TRANSPARENCY REFORM**
Save Shasta Elections, a local citizens’ advocacy group, is launching a petition drive to introduce the "Local Election Transparency and Security Reform" initiative. This charter amendment aims to restore trust and accountability to Shasta County’s election process by prioritizing transparency, security, and community oversight.
The proposed measure will return elections to time-tested single-day, in-person voting with limited absentee ballots, hand-counted ballots by citizen volunteers at the precinct level, voter ID verification, offline local voter rolls, and election results tallied and published on election night. Leveraging Shasta County’s charter authority under the California Constitution, the initiative emphasizes local control over election procedures.
“We urgently need to rebuild confidence in our voting process,” said Kari Chilson, Media Coordinator for Save Shasta Elections. “Hand-counted ballots on a single election day will save costs, enhance transparency, and allow every citizen to witness the process from start to finish.”
Once enough signatures are gathered, the measure will be submitted to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors for placement on an upcoming ballot, empowering voters to decide. Supporters cite concerns over electronic voting machines’ lack of transparency—where only voting system companies and the Secretary of State access the software—leaving citizens unable to verify election integrity. They also reference legal backing, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s *Foster v. Love* ruling supporting single-day elections and Huntington Beach’s charter city voter ID measure which has withstood court challenge.
To donate, volunteer, or learn more, visit SaveShastaElections.org Training is provided for signature gatherers. Contact Kari Chilson at (720)899-8829 or karichilson@gmail.com. The full text of the proposed charter amendment is available upon request.
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March 21, 2025
*** Press Release***
Shasta County Civil Court Case 25CVG00515
Shasta Co. Vs. Hobbs, Gallardo, Burnett, Chilson, Holliday
Today the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in closed session to drop the lawsuit against the Shasta Five. This comes as a huge relief to the five citizens who were sued after submitting a notice of intention to circulate a petition for election transparency and security reform. Today's decision by the board comes on the heels of a Court ruling that determined the County Counsel was not entitled to an emergency injunction to relieve him of his statutory duty to write the title and summary for the petition. The Board made their decision to drop the suit based on Judge Hanna's ruling. Citizen volunteers will begin gathering signatures starting in the next couple of weeks and are encouraged by an overwhelming show of community support.
SaveShastaElections.Org
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March 19, 2025
*** Press Release***
Shasta County Civil Court Case 25CVG00515
Shasta Co. Vs. Hobbs, Gallardo, Burnett, Chilson, Holiday
The County of Shasta filed a lawsuit against five citizen proponents of a charter amendment initiative to enact election reform. Prior to circulating a petition, it is necessary for the county counsel to write an impartial title and summary to the proposed measure. County Counsel Joseph Larmour asked the judge to impose a preliminary injunction to relieve him of his statutory duty to write the title and summary. This request was denied by the Court. Attorney for the five citizen defendants, Alexander Haberbush, had this to say after the Court’s ruling:
“We appreciate that the Court recognized that this matter is not appropriate for emergency relief. The Court's laundry list of procedural and substantive defects in the County's filing was exactly on point. This is a significant victory for the right of the voters to be heard in the initiative process and we are confident going forward."
We expect County Counsel to fulfill his duty, that he acknowledged today before the Court, of providing a title and summary by tomorrow’s deadline.