Board to discuss legal threat after Shasta election official withholds press release access
A series of tense communications with media in the lead up to the November special election came to a head Thursday, Oct. 9 when Shasta’s newest election official, Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis, indicated to Shasta Scout by email the organization would no longer receive press releases.
After noticing that other outlets had reported on an Oct. 3 press release that Shasta Scout never received, a reporter reached out to Curtis by email on Oct. 9. In his response later that morning, Curtis questioned whether Shasta Scout was running afoul of tax law by reporting with “a political lean,” wording he did not define. He also inaccurately accused Shasta Scout of failing to file the appropriate tax documentation. Curtis wrote that he had reached out to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about his concerns but had not yet heard back.
“While we are fairly lenient with what constitutes valid media,” Curtis wrote via email, “this office notifies potential media outlets that appear legitimate.”
Late that same day, the nonprofit First Amendment Coalition (FAC), which is providing pro bono legal representation for Shasta Scout on this particular issue, sent a formal legal demand to Curtis informing him that his decision to exclude the organization from press releases is illegal and a violation of constitutional rights. In the letter, FAC Legal Director David Loy told Curtis that Shasta County was in imminent threat of litigation unless he restored Shasta Scout to official press release lists.
https://shastascout.org/board-to-discuss-legal-threat-after-shasta-election-official-withholds-press-release-access/