An election worker in California is reportedly under investigation after being caught breaking into a locked ballot cabinet, raising concerns about the integrity of the state’s elections.
The unnamed employee is facing scrutiny in Shasta County, situated north of Sacramento, following the discovery of the incident on Tuesday.
Officials noted that this matter involved a limited number of extra ballots that may have been sent out before Election Day. The situation was subsequently reported to the Secretary of State’s Office.
“A discrepancy came to light during the early voting reconciliation, which is a routine process after elections, indicating that some additional ballots may have been distributed to voters by one of our employees ahead of Election Day,” county officials explained in a statement.
This incident took place on June 4 at the Shasta County Elections Office in Redding.
Election officials detected the irregularity during a routine check of early voting records post-election.
The county indicated that, due to the need for reconciliation to be finalized before specific reports can be accessed through California’s Election Information Management System (EIMS), some reports might not be accurately balanced when generated.
Officials also detailed another series of developments concerning election records that were utilized during the reconciliation process.
Despite the serious nature of the situation, officials clarified that no original ballots or election-related materials were taken from the elections office. “There was no leakage of any original ballots or election materials from the Elections Office located at 1643 Market Street,” they confirmed.
However, it appears that copies of the records made by the employee and subsequently handled by Shasta County Clerk and Registrar Clint Curtis may have included sensitive voter details, like names, addresses, dates of birth, and other personal information.
County officials mentioned that further information had been shared with the Secretary of State but was not publicly released to protect those implicated.
As this investigation falls under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State, Shasta County has decided not to pursue legal action at this time while the state looks into the issue.
This situation surfaced amidst a wave of accusations throughout the nation—primarily from Republican figures—about election fraud and irregularities seen in the California election process.
The certification of results is set for June 26.
