Shasta County election official plans to hire convicted clerk Tina Peters as consultant

Clint Curtis, the Registrar of Voters for Shasta County, California, has announced plans to hire Tina Peters as a consultant. Peters, the former clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, was convicted in 2024 of seven counts related to election interference and sentenced to nine years in prison for allowing unauthorised access to election equipment. Her sentence was commuted by Colorado Governor Jared Polis in May 2026 following sustained pressure from President Donald Trump.

Curtis stated that Peters would not have access to the county’s voting system but declined to specify her exact duties. He told the Redding Record Searchlight that hiring Peters as a consultant was a strategy to circumvent potential county efforts to block a formal appointment. Under this arrangement, Peters would reportedly continue to work from Colorado and Washington, DC, while occasionally supervising operations onsite in Shasta County. Curtis indicated the role is scheduled to begin on 4 September.

The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from local officials and federal politicians. US Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, described the move as an attempt to collude with the Trump administration’s election mischief. Matt Plummer, a member of the Shasta Board of Supervisors, argued that recruiting Peters would reduce public trust in elections. Stewart Buettell, the deputy CEO of the County of Shasta, noted that no formal hiring process or contract for services has been initiated, which is required for such engagements under county policy.

Peters’ lawyer, Peter Ticktin, confirmed to WIRED that she is considering the offer, citing alleged irregularities in the handling of the Shasta County election. Peters has not publicly commented on the offer herself. Recent court papers revealed that Trump and his advisers coordinated with federal agencies to cut funding to Colorado to pressure for Peters’ release. Despite parole conditions restricting her travel, Peters has continued to promote election denial theories and has met with Trump in the Oval Office.

Curtis, who lost his re-election bid to Joanna Francescut in June 2026, was recently censured by the Board of Supervisors. The censure followed allegations that he had physically threatened and verbally abused staff. In response to the censure, Curtis accused members of his own staff of bypassing security to sabotage a federal election, a claim he supported with CCTV footage of a staff member opening a door without a keycard.

David Becker, head of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, dismissed the announcement as "performance art" by an outgoing clerk. He questioned the legality of spending taxpayer dollars on a convicted felon. Brent Turner, the current assistant registrar of voters, expressed surprise at the potential replacement, stating he believed he was still in his current role.