The secretary of state contest typically attracts sparse media coverage, scant financial resources and little voter interest. This year is no different; nevertheless, it is shaping up to be one of the most competitive statewide races on the November ballot.
Incumbent Bruce McPherson and his challenger, termed-out state Sen. Debra Bowen of Marina del Rey, are in a virtual dead heat among likely voters, recent polls show.
At first blush, they appear similar -- two respected politicians with long tenures in the state Legislature, where they showed a keen interest in the state's electoral system. They support many of the same principles, such as making the office nonpartisan and pressing for campaign finance reform. But they disagree sharply on whether the state's elections are run properly, and particularly on the trustworthiness of electronic voting machines.
Voting advocates say that whoever is elected will play a vital role in the future of the state's and the nation's elections.
"California has provided a lot of leadership for the nation in the area of voting-technology reform," said Kim Alexander, president and founder of the California Voter Foundation, which does not endorse candidates. "Secretary of State McPherson has provided that leadership; Debra Bowen has provided that leadership in her role on the Senate Elections Committee."
Elections across the nation have come under heightened scrutiny in recent years, following the 2000 presidential recount in Florida and the increased use of electronic voting. In California, the 2005 resignation of the last elected secretary of state, Democrat Kevin Shelley -- amid investigations into campaign fundraising and his office's use of federal election money -- also amplified attention on the office.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed McPherson to replace Shelley, and he was unanimously confirmed by the Legislature, including Bowen. McPherson, a moderate Republican, spent 11 years in the state Senate and Assembly. Previously, he worked as a reporter and then editor of his family's newspaper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
McPherson said voters ought to consider his 18-month record. He said he inherited a poorly run office with hostile relationships with election officials in the state's 58 counties and $150-million in frozen federal funding -- and turned it into an efficient, well-organized agency that is viewed as a model by federal officials. In the Legislature, he was author of bills requiring political candidates to disclose financial contributions online, allowing high school students to work at the polls on election day and studying the effectiveness of the Political Reform Act.
