This red California county roiled by a far-right insurgency braces for more trouble as election nears

Shasta County District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye, right, talks with Jason Miller, owner of Lucky Miller’s Deli and a Crye supporter, in Redding, Calif. Crye is one of the board members who voted to get rid of the county’s ballot-counting machines in favor of counting ballots by hand. Her challenger is a local business owner, Corkey Harmon, who said on his website that he is running “to protect our god given rights and our rural way of life.” Some county residents say the contest is also about the future political direction of the county. We don’t need to go into all the details of that.” Doni Chamberlain, a local journalist and Rickert supporter whose news website has spent years chronicling the chaos that has ripped through local government, said voters in the county’s Supervisorial District 3 face a choice that will define the county. “The tone is more aggressive.” Toller said he hoped for a placid election night, but law enforcement was planning patrols and “we have to be prepared for everything.” Shasta County voters went overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, and many expect them to do the same this year.