Shasta County Releases Prop 50 and 1% Tax Measure Results on Official Website Prior to Viral Claims

California election officials have debunked claims of delayed reporting for a local tax measure in Shasta County, following accusations that spread through social media on Wednesday.

A viral video posted by TikTok user @MaryJoTime and later shared on X by the account @WallStreetApes alleged that election officials had selectively released results for Proposition 50 while withholding counts for a local 1% sales tax increase in Shasta County, despite both items appearing on the same ballot.

“How can you have one count and not the other when there’s only two things on the ballot?” questioned the Redding resident in her video, claiming that at 5:30 AM on November 5, she could find numerous articles about Prop 50 passing but no information about the local tax measure.

County election officials confirmed to fact-checkers that this claim is false. Tommy Talkington, supervising analyst for early votes in Shasta County, verified that results for both ballot measures were published simultaneously on the county’s official website at 4:18 AM on Wednesday—more than an hour before the woman posted her allegations.

The published results showed that Measure A, the proposed 1% sales tax increase for Shasta County, failed to pass. The county website clearly indicated that 100% of polling places had reported their vote tallies by that time, though mail-in ballots were still being processed.

“Twenty-eight days after election day is when we are required by the state to have the election results certified,” Talkington explained, while noting that based on current counts, Measure A is projected to fail.

The discrepancy in awareness between the two ballot items likely stems from their vastly different scopes. Proposition 50, which addresses congressional redistricting, is a statewide initiative that garnered significant media attention across California and nationwide. This extensive coverage explains why the woman may have seen “articles on articles” about Prop 50 while missing the local reporting on Measure A.

Local news outlets, including the Record Searchlight, had in fact reported on Measure A’s early results in a November 5 article, citing numbers posted by the county at 1:18 AM—even earlier than the 4:18 AM update referenced by election officials.

The incident highlights the challenges of modern election information consumption, where high-profile statewide or national races often receive substantially more media coverage than local ballot initiatives. This disparity can create the impression that local results are being withheld when they’re actually available through official county channels.

Shasta County, located in Northern California with a population of approximately 180,000 residents, regularly processes both state and local ballot measures simultaneously. County officials maintain that their reporting procedures follow state guidelines, with preliminary results posted as soon as they’re tabulated and final certification coming within the state-mandated 28-day window.

The viral nature of the false claim underscores ongoing concerns about election misinformation spreading through social media platforms, particularly during the sensitive period when votes are still being counted. Election officials across California continue to emphasize the importance of consulting official county and state websites for accurate, timely election results rather than relying solely on social media reports.