California’s Secretary of State is responsible for conducting elections, helping businesses function, authorizing notaries public, protecting the identities of certain crime victims, registering domestic partnerships, and much more.  That is why Debra believes it is critical to set the bar higher and avoid perceived conflicts of interest.

• Debra has a strict self-imposed ban on endorsing any candidates or ballot measures.  She has pushed for a similar policy for all elections officials in California, but such a measure has been repeatedly defeated in the Legislature.
  

• A big believer in transparency, Debra was the first California lawmaker to voluntarily put her campaign finance reports on the Internet in 1995, five years before all candidates for state office were required to do so.  Now Debra oversees the database of all state officials’ campaign finance disclosure documents and all lobbying activity.

• Since Debra held her first elected office in 1992, she has refused to accept gifts from people who may be trying to influence her decision-making.