SHASTA COUNTY, California — November 5, 2026. The official canvass of the November 3 general election continues in Shasta County after a notably delayed election-night tabulation. Shasta Scout reported on November 4 that approximately 32,000 ballots had been included in the county’s early official counting snapshot. The same outlet estimated — by comparing historical midterm participation — that many more ballots could remain. That historical-turnout estimate is an independent projection, not a verified county official unprocessed-ballot report.
Why the first results arrived late
Local journalists reported delays in opening and tabulating the first election-night results. KQMS’s November 4 coverage describes a zero report and sorting issues involving mail and in-person ballots. The first returns were late Tuesday night, and the later Wednesday morning batch included additional in-person precinct reports. An operational delay alone does not establish that any valid vote was lost or altered; those would require separate evidence.
Supervisor District 5
County supervisor candidate Mike Gallagher appeared ahead of incumbent Chris Kelstrom in early District 5 returns. Shasta Scout’s November 4 story describes Gallagher holding approximately 57% of reported valid votes at that time, while KQMS reports about 58% from another snapshot. The differing rounded figures should not be combined as if they represent an identical count. California58’s District 5 article provides separate race-level context.
Redding City Council: three seats
In Redding, residents are choosing three council members. The first count placed Russ Wenham around 22%, Tenessa Audette around 19.5%, Mark Mezzano around 14–15%, and Christina Prosperi around 13%, depending on the reporting cutoff. The first three were leading in the early count, but that does not imply that all three were elected or that the final rankings cannot change. See Redding’s earlier dedicated council article.
Shasta County Board of Education
Voters separately selected trustees for the Shasta County Board of Education in Areas 1 and 2. The early races featured Bruce Ross, Nancy Walker and Michele Tyson close in Area 1; in Area 2 the reported top candidates included Authur Gorman and Teresa Roberts. These are trustee elections, not city council or county supervisor races. California58 has already published a county education board results explainer and will distinguish Area 1 from Area 2.
Local Measures C, E and F
The early Shasta results showed opposition ahead on Measure C, the college bond proposal, while Yes was ahead on the proposed charter changes in Measures E and F. Different legal thresholds apply, and the early percentages do not constitute certified passage or rejection. For dedicated details see California58’s countywide measure overview, Measure E and Measure F.
What is known — and what is not
It is known that the county had reported about 32,000 ballots in the Wednesday morning snapshot and that more valid ballots were still being processed. It is not established from that number alone exactly how many uncounted votes belonged to Redding, Anderson, Shasta Lake or District 5. A historical-turnout forecast of the eventual total cannot be substituted for a county official backlog estimate. Precinct reporting percentages and actual completed canvass percentages are also different.
Next steps for local voters
Voters should obtain future updates from the Shasta County Elections Office and compare them with the dates and denominators quoted in older stories. California law requires county official results by December 3 and state certification by December 11. Until then, all candidate leads, measure percentages and turnout figures here remain preliminary.
Sources: Shasta Scout, November 4; KQMS, November 4; California Secretary of State. Independent historical turnout estimates are explicitly labeled as such, not presented as official outstanding-ballot counts.
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