Meet the Candidates - Secretaries of State - 2006 These eight candidates are running for Secretary of State to protect our voting rights in crucial states.  After you've learned more about them, be sure to go cast your vote.  Debra Bowen (California) Debra Bowen is running for Secretary of State because she doesn't want California to be the next Florida or Ohio. Today 52% of Americans do not have confidence that their votes will be counted accurately which threatens the foundation of our democracy. Debra Bowen is committed to changing that. Debra is currently a California State Senator, Chair of the Senate Elections Committee, and is a good-government watchdog. As Secretary of State, Debra is committed to doing a full review of all voting systems, including electronic voting machines, and any system that is not reliable, accurate and auditable, will be de-certified. She will establish an appropriate auditing mechanism to guarantee that the results of every election are 100% accurate. And she will correct the voter registration database system that recently disenfranchised over 26,000 eligible voters in Los Angeles County and 26% of registrants across the state. Debra is supported by groups representing teachers, nurses, firefighters and law enforcement, as well as Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Learn more at http://www.debrabowen.com/   Jennifer Brunner (Ohio) Jennifer Brunner is the Democratic Candidate for Ohio Secretary of State.  "I'm running for Ohio Secretary of State to change the way Ken Blackwell and Bob Taft have run elections in Ohio.  I will restore trust, accountability and fairness in Ohio's elections."  Jennifer Brunner stands for elections in Ohio that are free, fair, open and honest with results that can be audited and verified.  Brunner, a former Judge, brings unparalleled experience to this job, having also served as a Deputy Director in the Secretary of State's office, a board of elections member and an election law attorney for 13 years. Learn more at http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/   Gail Buckner (Georgia) A wife and grandmother, Gail Buckner is a sixteen-year veteran of the Georgia State House and current candidate for Secretary of State. This six-time legislator of the year and stalwart for the under-represented has championed every progressive cause under the blistering Georgia sun. As a testament to her advocacy and steady leadership, Gail was re-elected in 2004 with 91 percent of the vote. Her barnstorming campaign to be Georgia's next Secretary of State has been predicated on her opposition to the state's restrictive voter ID law, Clean Elections reform, paper trail verification and enhanced consumer protections. After edging-out five primary opponents, Gail now faces a well-funded Republican opponent, but with your help she can lead the charge in cleaning-up the campaign process while keeping this very important office under Democratic leadership. Learn more at http://www.gailbuckner.com/     Ken Gordon (Colorado) Ken is running for Secretary of State to make our democracy more faithful to the values of people, not special interests. In all of his campaigns, he has never accepted a contribution from a political action committee (PAC). Ken Gordon has been a state legislator for 14 years, serving the last two as Colorado Senate Majority Leader. Throughout that time, he has fought to reduce the influence of money in politics and earned a reputation for unrelenting fairness and honesty. Last year, Ken passed a law that requires every voting machine in Colorado contain a voter-verified paper record and a post-election audit to compare the electronic and paper vote tallies. Learn more at http://www.kengordon.com/   Mary Herrera (New Mexico) Mary Herrera has served as Bernalillo County Clerk since 2001, overseeing all aspects of the election process in New Mexico's largest clerk's office. Herrera also served on the federal Election Assistance Commission and is a member of New Mexico's state election task force. Herrera plans to expand the training program and support for county clerks, clarify election procedures, improve voter education, and assist with Native American voting rights programs. The Albuquerque Tribune has praised the "breadth and currency of her experience with the latest cutting-edge county clerk and voting issues." The Tribune's May 2006 endorsement also pointed out that Herrera's "additional background for the office is outstanding." Having held a variety of positions with the Bernalillo county government starting in 1974, Herrera has experience in finance and human resources and a masters degree in business administration. Learn more at http://www.maryherrera.com/   Michael Mauro (Iowa) Michael A. Mauro is the Auditor of Iowa's largest county, Polk, where he spent over 23 years managing elections. During his tenure he provided satellite voting stations throughout the county to make voting easier and more accessible to citizens. He remains a strong advocate of absentee/early voting and has focused on streamlining services and making the office more user-friendly for the residents. On a national level, he was designated as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator, (CERA) in 2003 and is one of only 324 election professionals out of 21,000 that have achieved CERA status. Beyond election experience, Michael has been a teacher, coach, real estate broker and public servant. He represents a platform focused on ensuring that every vote counts. He is committed to maintaining the integrity and security of the election process and making sure a paper trail exists to adequately protect elections. Michael has been married to Dorothy Fischer Mauro for 34 years and they have three sons and three grandchildren. Learn more at http://www.michaelmauro.org/   Ross Miller (Nevada) A third generation Nevadan, Ross Miller is Deputy District Attorney in Clark County (Las Vegas) and the son of popular two-term Governor Bob Miller. Running on an election reform platform that includes tougher enforcement of campaign finance rules, Miller has proposed felony penalties for anyone who intimidates voters and interferes with voter registration. To lift the barriers to voting, Miller supports a centralized vote-by-mail system and if elected will take steps to make it easier and more convenient to cast a ballot, including the extension of the deadline to register to vote and an expansion of early voting. As Secretary of State, Miller proposes to reform the initiative process to allow his office to write the titles and descriptions of initiatives that are presented to voters. Miller would increase felony penalties for tampering with election equipment and supports a voter verified paper trail. Learn more at http://www.rossmiller2006.com/   Mark Ritchie (Minnesota) Mark Ritchie and his wife, Nancy Gaschott, have lived in Minneapolis for 24 years. For 20 years he served as the president of the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a non-profit organization working with businesses, churches, farm organizations, and civic groups to foster long-term sustainability for Minnesota's rural communities. Two years ago Mark took a leave of absence in order to lead National Voice, a national coalition of over 1000 non-partisan organizations from across the country including church, business, and community organizations. The national media campaign, called "NOVEMBER 2," and these organizations helped voters find new ways to get involved in the elections.  They registered and turned out over 5 million new voters nationwide. Learn more at http://www.markritchie06.net/   Carmella Sabaugh (Michigan) Carmella Sabaugh is running on an aggressive election reform agenda. She supports auditable, voter-verified paper trails. She advocates for Election Day registration and no-reason absentee balloting. She opposes requiring photo ID at the polls. As the popular Clerk of Macomb County, she has increased public access to her office by putting candidate filings on-line and by extending office hours. Sabaugh won an important legal victory this month when a judge ruled that the County Clerk have the right to mail absentee applications to senior citizen who otherwise wouldn't have received one. A group of Republicans sued to block Sabaugh's Clerk's office from mail AV applications.