LIVE: Recount not happening on Monday for Shasta Supervisors District 2 race

There will be no recount on Monday

Update at 10:45 a.m.

Supporters of candidate Laura Hobbs have decided not to seek a recount in the District 2 supervisor's race, effectively closing down their opportunity to do another ballot tally, since the time period for challenging the outcome of the election ended last week.

Patty Plumb, a spokesperson for Hobbs, said she and other Hobbs supporters did not feel comfortable about the Shasta County elections Department process proposed for the recount.

Joanna Francescut, assistant registrar of voters, said she was disappointed the recount did not go as planned because she wanted to demonstrate a transparent vote-counting process that followed state law.

While Francescut said Hobbs did not provide the money to pay for the recount, Plumb said they will seek a recount through a lawsuit filed in Shasta County Superior Court last week.

It was not immediately clear if Hobbs had the money to pay for the start the recount.

Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut said the recount would not start until the elections department received the estimated $8,626 for the first day's count. The remaining cost for a recount could more than double that amount. She estimated the recount could last through Thursday.

Still waiting on money to start recount

Officials at the Shasta County elections office said Monday morning that they were still waiting for payment in the form of a cashiers check, money order or cash to start the recount.

The recount is scheduled to start at 9 a.m.

Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut has estimated that the first day's recount will cost $8,626.

Laura Hobbs, who came in second place for the District 2 seat on the Boad of Supervisors, has to pay for the recount because she is requesting it.

Original story

Three days after filing a lawsuit against the Shasta County registrar of voters, Laura Hobbs, who came in second place for a seat on the Board of Supervisors in District 2, requested a recount of the vote in the March primary race.

That hand recount of votes in the District 2 supervisors race started early Monday at the registrar of voters office at 1643 Market St. in downtown Redding.

The recount is slated to begin at 1:15 p.m., after material review is held at 9 a.m., followed by recount training for recount volunteers and observers, said Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut.

Considering the race was very close, Francescut expects the recount to draw a crowd.

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"We already counted over 4,000 of these ballots during the 1% manual tally audit, so in the recount process, observers have a lot more of an in-depth look, and so they're going to be right on top of the (ballot) counters. So it'll be pretty intense in the office during this process," Francescut said.

Hobbs, who has long been critical of the elections department, filed her lawsuit in Shasta County Superior Court on Tuesday, April 2. It also names as a defendant Allen Long, who garnered 50.13% of the votes in the primary election for the District 2 seat, which means he does not face a challenger in a runoff race. Hobbs came in second place, with 19.12% of votes.

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Francescut said she expects interest in the recount to be intense, with both sides in the race showing up at the elections office to watch the ballot tallying.

In her lawsuit filed last week in Shasta County Superior Court, Hobbs asking a judge to "find moot the nomination of Allen Long as winner" of the primary election. She claimed there were numerous mistakes in the voting process, including counting errors and lack of security involving ballot boxes.

Long has said he does not anticipate a recount will change the results, and said Hobbs is being a sore loser.

"Her lawsuit is simply more unsubstantiated attacks on the elections department and an attempt to intimidate future candidates from running," Long told the Record Searchlight on Thursday.

All told, Long is avoiding the runoff by passing the 50% mark with 13 votes. Supervisor candidates must receive more than 50% of the vote to win a seat outright.

Come back for live updates from the recount.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: LIVE UPDATE: Shasta Supervisors recount called off Monday