November 13, 2006

"Bowen aims to boost voter faith in elections"

"Thirteen years ago, Debra Bowen swept into the Capitol and, with the naïve zeal typical of many freshman lawmakers, announced it was time for campaign finance reform.

Not surprisingly, the idea received a frosty reception from her new colleagues in the state Assembly, and the rookie Democrat from Marina del Rey soon was experiencing legislative defeat.

Unlike her proposal, Bowen's interest in fair elections did not perish. And now, as one of two newcomers to statewide office after Tuesday's election, she's poised to occupy a post that will put it to use.

After all the votes were counted, Bowen, 51, emerged the winner in a tight race for California secretary of state. She is the only woman elected this year to a constitutional office, and one of only six women in California history to capture a statewide post.

Bowen succeeds Bruce McPherson, a Republican who was appointed to the job by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005 after Democrat Kevin Shelley resigned. McPherson lost his bid to stay in office after a contentious race marked largely by the candidates' differences over the trustworthiness of electronic voting machines.

An attorney who served three terms in the Assembly and two tours in the Senate, Bowen is no-nonsense, analytical and viewed as a savvy problem-solver with a strong work ethic.

Although little-known statewide, she earned serious stripes in Sacramento for her calm, decisive leadership of the Senate's energy committee during the state's energy crisis of 2001.

More recently, she has used her position as chairwoman of the Senate Elections Committee to champion election reform. Her view: Voters have lost confidence in the security and sanctity of elections, an erosion that began with the 2000 presidential recount in Florida and continues amid fears that electronic voting machines are not foolproof."

Posted by Randy Riddle at November 13, 2006 09:28 AM