Convicted MAGA election denier declines job in California amid pressure from Newsom

Key Points:

• Tina Peters, convicted for tampering with voting machines in Colorado, declined a job offer to oversee elections in Shasta County, California, citing her nationwide efforts to "secure the elections."
• The job offer, made by Shasta County registrar Clint Curtis, a known election denier, sparked strong backlash from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers, who condemned employing a convicted election tamperer.
• Peters was released early from a nine-year sentence after Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted her term; she was found guilty of aiding unauthorized access to voting machines to support false claims of 2020 election fraud.
• Curtis planned to hire Peters as a consultant to bypass slow county hiring processes, but the assistant registrar, Brent Turner, expressed relief that Peters declined the offer and criticized Curtis' handling of the situation.
• Curtis, facing the end of his term after losing a primary election, has been controversial in his management of election materials, including sequestering ballots with locks and duct tape amid doubts about their integrity.