With election underway, Shasta County warns residents about a radio ad on voting materials

Shasta County officials warned residents Friday about a radio ad that reportedly asked residents to telephone a private individual's phone number if they received voting materials that did not belong to them.

County officials did not say who paid for the ad or whose phone number residents were supposed to call.

The ad aired on KQMS radio in Redding, but the spot has since been removed, according to a news release issued by the county on Friday. It wasn't clear if the sponsors of the advertisement had violated any election laws.

Joanna Francescut, assistant county registrar of voters, said information about ballots is confidential and her office, not a third party, needs to know if ballots are going to the wrong address.

"If someone receives a ballot that doesn't belong to that household it needs to come back to our office, returned undeliverable by the post office, or just delivered to our office and say that voter does not live here so that we can get that updated, fixed immediately," Francescut said.

"We include (with ballots) a notice, as required by law, that says to save taxpayer dollars, if you receive this and this mailing does not belong to a member the household, please return it back to your postal carrier," she said.

The ad was reported to county officials Thursday, said David Maung, a county spokesperson.

But county officials emphasized that the ad was not paid for by Shasta County.

"The ad directed Shasta County residents to report any election mail and voting materials that do not belong to a member of their household to a specific private citizen’s phone number," county officials said.

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Voter registration information is "confidential and not considered public information accessible to all members of the public," the news release says.

"It is important for the public to know that if they have received voting materials that are not addressed to them or a current member of their household, that the voter information is confidential. In this case, they should report it directly to the Shasta County Registrar of Voters at the Shasta County Elections Office," Maung said.

"However, it's crucial to note that this message is not from nor approved by the Shasta County Registrar of Voters, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, or the Shasta County Elections Commission," officials said in the news release.

An official at KQMS referred questions about the ad to Chris Zwaga, who owns Media Plus advertising agency. Zwaga said the ad was aired on the radio three or four times. The person who paid to air the ad also asked for it to be taken off the air, she said.

Zwaga said she could not reveal who paid for the ad.

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Francescut said voter turnout has been slow, so far, and about 18,000 ballots have arrived at the elections office by Friday afternoon. Most ballots are received at the elections department on the day of the election, though, she said.

The elections office in downtown Redding will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

This week's advertisement issue is not the first time county officials have warned the public regarding potential election irregularities.

In September 2022, county residents were warned about the potential for voter intimidation after receiving reports of people canvassing neighborhoods and contacting voters at their homes.

County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen said at the time that she was contacted four times in September by four different voters about people wearing reflective vests who claimed they were part of a “voter task force.”

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“They are questioning who lives at the address, who is registered at the address and who voted at the address,” Darling Allen said.

Darling Allen said, she notified Redding police and the sheriff's office. She was told the questioners were “very aggressive.”

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County warns residents about a radio ad on voting materials