California’s Election Referee Is on the Ballot – And Almost No One Is Watching
Shawn GriffithsMail-in ballots are out, and voting has begun in California’s June 2 primary. This election, though, is not just about who wins power. It is also a fight over who voters trust to run the system.
This is where the secretary of state comes in – the chief elections officer of the state.
It is one of the most consequential statewide offices in California, even if it is not getting the same level of attention as the governor’s race. Part of the reason few are talking about it is because it seems like an easy victory for incumbent Shirley Weber.
Still, it is an important race for independent voters to watch, because the secretary of state oversees the administration of federal and state elections, certifies candidates and statewide ballot measures, monitors campaign finance and lobbying disclosures, and more.
In other words, the office sits at the center of many of the issues that dominate modern political debate: election security, voter access, ballot counting, campaign transparency, and public trust.
This year’s election also coincides with a ballot initiative to implement new voter ID requirements for future elections. The initiative has already been certified for the ballot and will be a major statewide issue going into November.
Shawn Griffiths
The Candidates
Four candidates are listed on the statewide primary ballot for secretary of state: incumbent Democrat Shirley Weber, Republican Donald Wagner, Green Party candidate Michael Feinstein, and Green Party candidate Gary Blenner.
Weber’s ballot designation is “California Secretary of State,” Wagner’s is “Orange County Supervisor,” Feinstein’s is “Electoral Reform Consultant,” and Blenner’s is “Teacher.”
It is worth noting that there were no debates or candidate forums held for this race, despite the responsibilities of the secretary of state. So, voters did not get to hear the positions of any of these candidates prior to ballots being sent out.
Under California’s Top Two nonpartisan open primary, all voters can choose from the same list of candidates, regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates who receive the most votes advance to November.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber: The Incumbent Defending How California Runs Its Elections
Shirley Weber is seeking another term after first being appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 and then winning election in 2022. Before becoming secretary of state, Weber served in the state Assembly and had a long career as a professor at San Diego State University.
During her tenure as secretary of state, California has permanently implemented universal mail-in voting. She also has administered high-profile statewide elections and engaged in legal fights with local governments over election laws.
CalMatters notes that Weber has pledged to expand voting access, improve transparency in election filings, and enhance cybersecurity protections if elected to another term.
Her pitch is largely a defense of California’s current approach. She says voting is and should remain accessible to everyone and argues that the state already makes elections secure. In a statement published in the official voter guide, she said:
“[T]here are people that want to roll back … progress. They want shorter polling hours, fewer days to vote and the removal of vote-by-mail ballots. Some of them have even threatened the lives of election officials when their preferred candidate loses. This behavior will not be tolerated in California.”
It is a message that is particularly relevant this year because of the California voter ID initiative that her office certified for the November ballot. Weber is opposed to the initiative, calling it “a waste of money and a waste of time.”
She was also quoted in the Los Angeles Times saying, “When you really get to it, Voter ID is a smoke screen for trying to create the idea that this is a corrupt system.”
Independent Voter News sent out a questionnaire to all statewide candidates, including the candidates for secretary of state, asking them specifically about the California voter ID initiative, the federal SAVE Act, and two additional questions:
- Do you support the right of every voter, regardless of party preference, to participate in every publicly funded election, including primary elections?
- Would you support expanding California voter choice by advancing the top four candidates to the general election and allowing voters to rank them in order of preference?
Weber’s office has not sent back a response, but we know from previous statements that she does not support the voter ID initiative or the SAVE Act.
Don Wagner: The Republican Challenger Campaigning on Election Integrity
Don Wagner is an Orange County supervisor, former Irvine mayor, and former state assemblymember. He responded to IVN’s questionnaire and said he supports the California voter ID initiative, but does not support the SAVE Act.
IVN author Cara Brown McCormick published a comprehensive breakdown highlighting the differences between the state initiative and the federal bill.
Wagner also said ‘Yes” to the question: “Do you support the right of every voter, regardless of party preference, to participate in every publicly funded election, including primary elections?” But he is “Not Sure” about a Top Four system.
He is running on a platform centered on election integrity, oversight, and transparency. Not only does he support requiring voter ID at the polls, but he has also criticized California for its slow ballot-counting process.
As a county supervisor, Wagner also pushed for the release of sensitive voter information to President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice over claims of voting irregularities.
“California’s election system is broken. Thirty-six states and most democratic nations require voters to establish their identities at the polls. California does not,” he said in his statement for the state voter guide.
“While other large states can finish vote counts and announce results on Election Night, California takes 30 excruciating days. We are usually the last state in the country to stop counting and report final results. That’s embarrassing and unacceptable.”
He added that as secretary of state he will require voter ID, require mail-in ballots to be returned by Election Day (rather than postmarked by then), and prohibit “ballot harvesting” by paid canvassers, which is the practice of collecting ballots from voters and returning them.
In California, it is legal for political and partisan operatives to engage in ballot harvesting (something both major parties do).
Michael Feinstein: Green Party Candidate Running on Broad Structural Reforms
Michael Feinstein is a former mayor and city council member of Santa Monica and previously ran for secretary of state in 2018. He also responded to IVN’s questionnaire, but unlike Wagner does not support the California voter ID initiative or the federal SAVE Act.
He did, however, indicate that he supports the right of every voter to participate in every taxpayer-funded election and said “Yes” to expanding Top Two (which he has criticized) to a Top Four system that uses ranked choice voting in the general election.
In his candidate statement, Feinstein said a vote for him “is a vote for a Democracy Bill of Rights.” His platform includes:
- Ranked choice voting
- Multi-party democracy (via proportional representation)
- More campaign finance disclosures
- Reduce the cost of running for office
- A public campaign finance system, including matching small donor contributions
- Democracy vouchers
- Universal voter registration
More specifics can be found in the official state voter guide, but simply put, his campaign prioritizes structural election reform. “We’re best when all are heard and represented. Everyone deserves a seat at the table of our democracy,” he said.
Gary Blenner: Green Party Candidate and Teacher
Neither Gary Blenner nor Michael Feinstein are receiving the same level of attention as Weber or Wagner, and the Los Angeles Times reported that the two Green Party candidates in the race have not been actively fundraising, putting them at a major disadvantage.
Still, his candidacy gives voters another option outside the Democratic-Republican frame. He also has the endorsements of the Green Party of California and the Peace and Freedom Party.
He did not write as much in his candidate statement as the other candidates but he said the answer for anyone “tired of government that only listens to wealthy interests rather than working people” is “to fix our election system and expand democracy.”
Like Feinstein, he supports proportional representation, ranked choice voting, public financing of campaigns, and “an end to corporate personhood.” He has not returned IVN’s questionnaire.
The Central Issue: Trust vs. Access
The secretary of state race is likely to turn on a familiar debate: election integrity versus voting access. But that framing is too simplistic.
Most voters want both. They want elections that are secure, transparent, and resistant to fraud. They also want elections that are accessible, easy to understand, and free from unnecessary barriers.
The real question is not whether California should have secure elections or accessible elections. It is which candidate has the better plan to deliver both.
Weber represents continuity with California’s current structure: automatic access to mail ballots, broad voting options, and an emphasis on protecting participation. Wagner represents a challenge to that model, arguing that the state needs stronger identification rules, more oversight, and faster counting to restore confidence.
The Green Party candidates offer voters another way to register dissatisfaction with the two-party framing, though they face the structural challenge of limited money and attention.
Why Independent Voters Should Care
When it comes to the “rules of the game,” the secretary of state is the referee. They administer and oversee elections, determine how voters receive information, how candidates and measures qualify for the ballot, and how campaign money is disclosed.
They also determine how the state communicates trust in the process.
In a year when California voters will also debate voter ID, citizenship verification, ballot access, and election confidence, the race for secretary of state deserves more scrutiny than it is getting because this is the office that makes decisions on all of these issues – and more.
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