California senators call for ‘maximum oversight’ over conspiracist Tina Peters’ new election job

Both of California’s senators are deeply worried about convicted election denier Tina Peters’ possible new job assisting with elections in the conservative bastion of Shasta County — and they’re urging the state’s election chief to keep a close eye on her if she takes the gig. 

In a letter sent Wednesday to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D), Sens. Alex Padilla (D) and Adam Schiff (D) said they have “grave concern” over Shasta Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis’ plan to hire Peters to replace his current assistant in September, ahead of November’s midterm elections. 

The position will once again give Peters — a former GOP clerk in Mesa County, Colorado, who was convicted for her role in a 2021 voting system breach driven by election conspiracy theories — dangerous influence over elections, including the critical ballot counting process.

“We are concerned that this hiring decision in Shasta County has less to do with Ms. Peters’ qualifications, and more to do with the President’s obsession with interfering in the midterm elections – having suggested a need to ‘take over the voting’ by installing individuals who would put the President’s agenda above following the law, and his fixation on passage of the SAVE Act, which would create significant barriers to the ballot for millions of Americans,” Padilla and Schiff wrote. 

Curtis said he is hiring Peters to help ensure the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security can access ballots — something Padilla and Schiff note could violate both state and federal law.

“If Shasta County puts Ms. Peters in a position to again violate election laws following her convictions, county taxpayers could be burdened with unwelcomed and potentially hefty expenses,” the senators wrote to Weber. “If county officials proceed with this misguided plan, we request that you provide the maximum oversight possible to ensure that Ms. Peters does not improperly access ballots, voting systems, or sensitive information that could impact the rights and privacy of the over 100,000 registered voters in Shasta County.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on social media that the state is investigating Peters’ potential hiring. 

Neither Weber’s office nor Newsom’s office immediately responded to a request for comment.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) commuted Peters’ nine-year prison sentence in May, allowing her to be released in June after serving only 20 months. Since Peters’ release, she has been traveling the country spreading phony conspiracy theories about voting — the same ones that helped land her in prison. 

It’s not immediately clear whether Peters will accept Curtis’ job offer. Peters’ attorney Peter Ticktin told the New York Times that “there’s no decision made at this point,” but she’s considering the job.

If Peters takes the job, it would position her to succeed Curtis, should he resign before his term ends, until the county board of supervisors can appoint a replacement.

That’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility: Curtis faced censure by the board last week for threats, verbal abuse and retaliatory acts against employees, according to the Shasta Scout.

Padilla and Schiff warned that Peters should not be working in an election office in any capacity.

“Since her release, Ms. Peters’ apology has completely failed to demonstrate she has any real remorse for the damage she has caused voters in Colorado and it is clear that she does not belong in a role overseeing any part of our electoral system,” the senators wrote.