ROV Clint Curtis to Bring Tina Peters to Shasta County as Consultant
Updated 8/16/26 at 6:50 p.m.
Shasta County Registrar of Voters and Clerk Clint Curtis has confirmed plans to bring on Tina Peters, the former Mesa County, Colorado, Clerk and Recorder, in a consulting role.
Curtis stated that the arrangement would begin after an existing staff member’s sick leave ends on September 4, 2026. He indicated he intends to use that salary allocation to fund the position.
“Yes. Once Brent’s sick leave expires on September 4th, I can utilize that salary to bring her on board. Probably will be as a consultant so that I can insulate her from being blamed for anything because she won’t have system access. That is my usual practice. Brent did not have system access either,” Curtis said.
The consulting role would add Peters’ hands-on experience with election systems to Shasta County’s office for the remaining months of Curtis’s term. Under previous administrations, public observation was severely limited. Only a few TV screens were available, and observers had to stand upstairs, looking at distant images of employees in the Agilis machine area (the high-speed ballot-sorting machine) and, in November 2024, of the outside area. People appeared so small on the screens that meaningful observation was said to be impossible. Most rooms where ballots were counted and processed had no cameras at all, forcing observers to watch through windows or from behind ropes at door entrances. There was no live feed.
Curtis transformed that closed system into a centralized process with extensive, transparent video recording of ballots as they enter the tabulators (counting votes) and meaningful opportunities for real-time public observation, creating a night-and-day difference in transparency.
Tina Peters’ Background
Tina Peters served as Mesa County Clerk and Recorder from 2019 to 2023. Supporters of stronger election transparency view her as an official who prioritized independent scrutiny of voting equipment over reliance on vendor assurances alone. Following the 2020 election, she facilitated examination of county election systems during a software update, an action many election-integrity advocates championed as an effort to identify and document potential vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems.
Her efforts made her a national hero among those calling for greater machine security and public confidence in elections. After a highly publicized legal case in Colorado, President Donald Trump issued a symbolic federal pardon in late 2025 (which did not affect her state convictions). Colorado Governor Jared Polis later commuted her sentence in May 2026. Peters was released on parole on June 1, 2026, after serving roughly 19–20 months.
Peters has consistently maintained that her actions stemmed from a commitment to election integrity. She continues to advocate for greater transparency so that voters can have confidence that every ballot is counted accurately and securely. Her supporters point to her experience as evidence of the personal risks some officials have faced when pushing for closer examination of election processes.
Local Context and Voter Priorities
Curtis has repeatedly highlighted Shasta’s current practices—livestreaming and recording ballots as they enter tabulators, allowing meaningful public observation, and securing materials for potential independent review—as practical ways to build trust. Bringing Peters on as a limited consultant without system access follows his established approach of seeking outside expertise while protecting operational integrity.
This development comes amid ongoing local interest in election administration. In the June election, 56% of Shasta voters supported Measure B, reflecting broad community desire for stronger safeguards, transparency, and accountability in how elections are run. Curtis’s reforms and the planned consulting arrangement align with that common-sense priority: processes that ordinary citizens can observe and verify.
As of mid-August 2026, Curtis’s statement reflects clear intent rather than a completed personnel action. Additional details on the exact scope of the consulting role, start date, and specific responsibilities are expected once the arrangement is formalized after September 4.
For many Shasta residents who value open, secure elections, the move represents another step toward ensuring the process is not only trustworthy but demonstrably so.
