Appeals Court Keeps Shasta County’s Measure B Blocked Ahead of 2026 Election

A California appeals court has left in place a lower-court injunction blocking Shasta County’s Measure B, meaning the county cannot enforce the voter-approved election measure for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election while the lawsuit over it continues.

The immediate result is that Shasta County must keep running elections under existing California law, rather than under Measure B’s proposed rules. The measure would require government-issued photo ID to register and to vote in person, sharply limit vote-by-mail and early voting, require ballots to be hand-counted, and create a separate county voter-registration system outside the state’s existing system.

The California Third District Court of Appeal on Aug. 27 denied a petition for writ of supersedeas — a request to halt enforcement of the lower court’s order while an appeal proceeds — along with a related stay request. In a brief order, the court said: “Petition for writ of supersedeas with request for stay is denied.” That leaves in force a preliminary injunction issued Aug. 7 by Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Hanna.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced the appellate result Friday, saying it keeps Measure B from taking effect during the ongoing litigation. The state sued Shasta County and Shasta County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis in Superior Court on June 30, after moving earlier in appellate court as election deadlines approached.

The case centers on California’s statewide election system. State officials argue that Measure B goes beyond the county’s authority and conflicts with state laws governing voter identification, vote-by-mail, early voting, ballot counting and voter registration. The appeals court’s order does not decide the ultimate legality of the measure; it simply preserves the preliminary injunction while the case moves forward.

That matters immediately for Shasta County’s voters. The state said more than 116,000 registered voters could be affected, and county election officials now must prepare for November under the same statewide rules used elsewhere in California, rather than a county-specific system that would have changed how residents register and cast ballots.

Bonta said in a statement that Measure B “illegally attempted to undermine the legitimacy of state elections and create barriers that would prevent eligible voters from exercising their right to participate in our democracy.”

Shasta County voters approved Measure B in the June 2 election with about 55% support, according to contemporaneous reporting. But with the injunction still in place after the latest appellate ruling, the measure remains blocked as the litigation continues.