Shirley WeberShirley Weber

Preliminary endorsement — Shirley N. Weber has not returned our questionnaire.

Shirley Weber has done the job competently, and we endorse her for another term.

The Secretary of State's primary job is running California's elections, and Weber has done it without drama — which is exactly what you want. Under her tenure, California hit a record 22.6 million registered voters (https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/statistics) in 2024, and over 5 million Californians (https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/news-releases-and-advisories/2024-news-releases-and-advisories/california-secretary-state-shirley-n-weber-phd-announces-more-5-million-california-voters-signed-track-their-ballot) signed up for ballot tracking through the "Where's My Ballot" system. She's also expanded same-day voter registration and grown the number of Voter Choice Act counties, which give voters more flexibility in where and when they cast their ballots.

When the federal government demanded access to California's statewide voter registration database, Weber refused and won in court (https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/news-releases-and-advisories/2026-news-releases-and-advisories/california-secretary-state-shirley-n-weber-phd-secures-win-against-threats-voter-privacy).

We'd like to see her push harder on campaign finance transparency. The state's Cal-Access disclosure database (https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/) is difficult to use and makes it too hard to trace certain types of electoral spending. Voters deserve full transparency around political money.

Source (https://growsf.org/voter-guide/san-francisco-voter-guide-june-2026-election/#secretary-of-state)

Why would we not support Shirley Weber? She’s experienced, a fierce defender of voting rights, and the rare state official whose integrity is not compromised by ambition. Last time she ran, we wrote about the way Weber stood up to Governor Newsom when he asked her to let him appear on the recall ballot as a Democrat despite missing a deadline—“Hey, Shirley, I know I’m late, but do me a favor and just put me down as a Democrat, OK?” She refused, and when Newsom sued her (https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/06/newsom-changes-own-recall/), Weber held her ground and the case was tossed out. Integrity in politics, we love to see it!

Given the current level of wackiness and racism around elections (cough cough, Chad Bianco, Voter ID laws, the reactionary Supreme Court) why wouldn’t we want a principled, effective, honest Black public servant with a dedication to accuracy and transparency running our election process? Her opponent, Orange County Republican Don Wagner, is a voter ID hawk who wants to stop sending mail-in ballots to all voters, so this vote really matters. We’ve endorsed Shirley Weber twice (June and November 2022) and are proud to endorse her again. 

Vote Shirley Weber for Secretary of State!

Source (https://www.theleaguesf.org/blog#SecState)

I will never give up on protecting your voting rights. We are not in normal times. We need strong leaders to stand up and fight for what is right and just. I was born in the Jim Crow south to sharecroppers who couldn’t vote. California welcomed us with open arms and has been my home ever since. My parents cast their first votes here and even used our family living room as a polling place. America is the only country in the world where within one generation a family can go from Jim Crow disenfranchisement, to administering elections in the largest state in the nation. We’ve come so far, and I’ve seen it frsthand. However, there are people that want to roll back that 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. As Secretary of State, 28 statewide and special elections were successfully held. When our voting rights were under attack, I fought for us in the courts, and won. I’ve been a transparent leader because trust is everything. Every eligible Californian should register to vote and cast their ballot whether we agree politically or not. I will continue to fight to make sure that nothing stands between you and the ballot box. Vote Dr. Shirley N. Weber for Secretary of State. Visit www.DrShirleyWeber.com to learn more.

Weber, whose parents were Arkansas sharecroppers who escaped Jim Crow conditions, made history as California's first Black secretary of state through appointment in 2021, following eight years serving in the state Assembly. She secured a full four-year term in 2022 with a decisive victory. During her tenure, she has overseen permanent universal mail-in voting implementation, managed significant elections including the gubernatorial recall effort, pursued litigation against local governments regarding voting regulations, and addressed election fraud allegations. For her next term, Weber committed to broadening voter participation opportunities, enhancing transparency in election records, and strengthening election system cybersecurity.

Key endorsements: California Democratic Party, California Federation of Teachers, SEIU California.

Shirley N. Weber is the current Secretary of State. She has done a good job at the basic roles required of a Secretary of State—elections and business filings. Donald Wagner is the Republican candidate. Per his website, https://wagnerforcalifornia.com/?p=463, he wants Voter ID and other voting restrictions including limitations on mail in ballots, only counting mailed ballots that arrive by Election Day, must register to vote at least 7 days before the election, and a ban on third party collection of ballots for delivery (e.g., no more helping seniors in a retirement facility deliver their ballots to a drop box). This is the standard GOP pitch that election integrity cannot be trusted and the only solution is to restrict voting. Numerous studies have found no evidence of such problems. Shirley has my vote.

Shirley Weber

At a time when Donald Trump and his allies want to destroy democracy by making it difficult or impossible for millions of Americans to vote, it’s critical to have a state elections officer willing to fight back. Weber, appointed to the post by Gov. Gavin Newsom, has been a strong advocate for voting rights, and we are happy to endorse her for a full term.

Source (https://www.sfbg.com/2026/05/06/endorsements-for-the-june-2-election/)

Weber is the incumbent in the seat and will win reelection as the only Democrat in the race. GrowSF approves of her job performance, too.

She’s the Democrat, she currently has the seat, there’s no other option. Not that she’s a bad option, but she is the only one.

Recommended. Committed to voter education for formerly incarcerated; authored legislation on police use-of-force, reparations, and racial profiling.

VIG listing; Occupation: California Secretary of State

Statewide constitutional officer endorsement

Democratic Party endorsed (via Sutter VIG)

SD & Imperial Counties Labor Council endorsed

I am voting for Shirley Weber, Secretary of State incumbent. She wants to expand voting access (her dad couldn't vote until he was 30), which is important because why is MAGA trying to block voting access and passing voting suppression bills? She's the first black secretary of state and idk why you would vote otherwise.

Shirley Weber knows how to run California’s elections — she oversaw the rollout of permanent universal mail-in voting and administered high-stakes elections including the Newsom recall, and she’s pledged to expand voting access and strengthen election cybersecurity in a second term.

Is California’s ballot-counting slow? Yes — and that’s a fair criticism. But speed isn’t the only thing that matters. Access means eligible voters can actually cast a ballot without hurdles; security means those votes are protected and accurately counted. A rushed count that disenfranchises voters or cuts corners on verification isn’t a fix — getting it right matters more than getting it fast, and that’s the tradeoff Weber prioritizes.

Her opponent would take the office the other direction — Don Wagner runs on a Trump-aligned “election integrity” platform and, as an Orange County supervisor, pushed to hand sensitive voter data to Trump’s DOJ. This is the office that decides how we vote.

Shirley Weber is the incumbent; she’s done her job and ensured we actually get to vote, and she’s by-the-book enough that she told Gavin Newsom to kick rocks when he screwed up his election paperwork and tried to correct it after a deadline. Two big points in her favor, here’s to four more years.

Incumbent

Incumbent

Democratic Party endorsed

She's got the system down. Zero fraud. Anticipation of Trump causing problems in 2028... keep her.