Far-right California county’s bid to hand count votes will cost millions

The move to a costly and experimental hand-count system comes as half the workforce is readying to strike over wages

In Shasta county, a deep red enclave in far northern California, officials are intensifying their push to replace voting machines with a costly and experimental hand-count system that could cost an additional $4m over two years.

The decision of the far-right majority on the region's governing body, the Shasta county board of supervisors, to press ahead with the controversial plan comes as half the county's workforce is preparing to strike over wages. Officials on the board recently said the county did not have enough money to pay requested wage increases for workers.