CaliforniaPeople.org

Statewide office

Secretary of State

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The job
Chief elections officer (certifies results, sets voting-system rules, publishes the voter guide, oversees but does not run county counts), plus business filings and campaign/lobbying disclosure.
Your pick

Shirley N. Weber (D) — incumbent

Key findings

  • More than five years running statewide elections (appointed 2021), including the 2021 recall. Oversaw making universal vote-by-mail permanent. [1]
  • Counting is slow (counties get 30 days), and 1.73% of mail ballots were rejected in the June 2026 primary, up from 1.56% in 2024, mostly for arriving late. [2]
  • As a legislator, wrote AB 392 (2019), the stricter police deadly-force standard. [3]

Track record (sourced)

  • Assembly: authored AB 392 (2019), tightening when police may legally use deadly force; authored the law creating California's reparations task force. Teacher-tenure and evaluation bills she wrote failed. [4]
  • As SoS: administered the 2021 Newsom recall; oversaw making universal vote-by-mail permanent. [3][1]
  • Sued local governments for violating election law; defended against a federal DOJ lawsuit seeking California voter-registration data; defeated a 2024 disability-rights suit over electronic ballot return. [3] Prop 5, the recall reform on this ballot, grew out of a proposal from her office. [5]
Résumé
  • San Diego State professor for nearly four decades (founding faculty of Africana Studies); a local school board; State Assembly 2012–2021; appointed Secretary of State 2021 (first Black person in the role), elected 2022. [3]
Concerns (sourced)
  • California's counts take weeks (counties have 30 days); critics including Wagner say she hasn't pushed to speed it up. She says "accuracy is far more important." [3]
  • Endorsements: CA Democratic Party, California Federation of Teachers, SEIU California. [3]

Don Wagner (R) — "Orange County Supervisor"

Key findings

  • Long local executive record: Orange County supervisor since 2019, Irvine mayor 2016–19, Assembly 2010–16. [6]
  • No election-administration role in his résumé. His main goals (voter ID, ending universal mail ballots) require the Legislature. [7]
  • Pushed to release sensitive voter data to the Trump Justice Department. [1]

Job-applicant read

Weber has run statewide elections for more than five years, with no major administration failures found, and the main critique is speed. Wagner has a long executive record in local government but none administering elections; his agenda depends mostly on laws the Legislature would have to pass.

Track record (sourced)

  • As supervisor: criticized the state's COVID response, questioned county DEI spending, and pushed to release sensitive voter information to the Trump DOJ over claims of irregularities. [1]
  • Platform: voter ID at the polls, roll back universal mail ballots, shorter certification deadline. All would need the Legislature. [7]
  • Endorsements: CA Republican Party, Reform California, California Republican Assembly. [1]
Résumé
  • Attorney; judge pro tem; president of the South Orange County Community College District board; State Assembly 2010–2016 (vice chair, Judiciary); Mayor of Irvine 2016–2019; Orange County Supervisor (District 3) since 2019, re-elected 2020 and 2024. [6]
  • Advanced from the June 2 primary with ~36.7%. [6]

Sources 7

5 reporting1 reference1 other
  1. ^ a b c d e CalMatters SoS guide CalMatters Reporting
  2. ^ AP via ABC7, rejected mail ballots (July 2026) ABC7 Reporting
  3. ^ a b c d e f inewsource/CalMatters (May 1, 2026) inewsource.org Other
  4. ^ CalMatters 2022 Weber profile CalMatters Reporting
  5. ^ CalMatters Prop 5 guide CalMatters Reporting
  6. ^ a b c Ballotpedia, Don Wagner Ballotpedia Reference
  7. ^ a b CalMatters (Apr 2026) CalMatters Reporting