Attorney General Bonta, Secretary of State Weber Sue Shasta County Over Measure B’s Illegal Election Overhaul, Including Ending Mail Voting and Requiring Hand Counting of Ballots

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. today filed a lawsuit seeking to strike down Shasta County's Measure B, which would illegally overhaul the County's election system and undermine state election law protections. Among other things, Measure B requires voters to present a government-issued photo identification to register to vote and vote in person, eliminates vote-by-mail and most early voting options, mandates the hand-counting of ballots, and creates a separate county voter registration system disconnected from the state's uniform system. Measure B limits elections to a single in-person Election Day, with limited exceptions for voters with disabilities, members of the military, and U.S. citizens living abroad. The lawsuit was filed in the California Third District Court of Appeal.

"Measure B is legally indefensible. It directly conflicts with state law and threatens to upend the orderly administration of elections. The stakes are especially high because voters in Shasta County are just months away from casting their ballots in the November midterms," said Attorney General Rob Bonta. "We are confident that the law is on our side and that Measure B will be struck down expeditiously. No city or county gets to unliterally rewrite our election rules."

"California has worked too hard to build an election system that is more accessible, more secure, and more reflective of the needs of voters across this state. Measure B turns back the clock moving in the exact opposite direction of what voters deserve," said Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. "By ending mail-in voting, restricting voting options, and requiring hand counting of ballots, it would dismantle protections that help voters actively participate. In California, we move democracy forward, we should not be trying to roll it back."

Allegations of widespread election fraud are not supported by evidence. In addition, individuals registering to vote in California are already required to verify their identity during the voter registration process.

In the lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta and Secretary of State Weber argue that:

• Measure B exceeds Shasta County's authority as a charter county. Charter status does not allow counties to take control of voter registration or election procedures.
• Even if the County had such authority, Measure B is preempted by state law, which requires uniform election rules across California.
• Measure B was legally flawed from the start. Indeed, the County previously went to court to avoid preparing the ballot title and summary due to legal concerns, and Measure B's lead proponent also openly acknowledged that "there are sections that are illegal."
• The court should act quickly to ensure uniform application of California's election laws across all 58 counties in the upcoming November election.

Attorney General Bonta has fought to protect the voting rights of Californians and uphold California's election laws. Attorney General Bonta, leading multistate coalitions, successfully blocked sweeping voter restrictions President Trump tried to implement by way of executive order, and took President Trump to courtover his attempt to interfere with states' constitutional authority to run their own elections.

In November 2025, following a legal challenge by Attorney General Bonta and Secretary of State Weber, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal held that Huntington Beach's voter identification law, Measure A, was unlawful and preempted by state law. The court addressed similar legal issues to those raised in this case.