[EL] The perhaps overly partisan rhetoric of Alex Padilla, Calif. Sec. of State

[Richard Winger]

California's Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, is chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.  In that role he sends out fund-raising messages for that association.  Today's e-mail from him has the subject line "Brian Kemp is trying to steal Georgia's election."  Maybe that is a true observation, but it makes me queasy for one state's election officer to be talking about another state's election officer.
Also, Padilla is no champion of voting rights himself.  At his press conference in San Francisco on November 2, 2018, I asked him if he favors restoring write-in space on California general election ballots for congress and partisan state office.  The California legislature had eliminated write-in space for those offices in general elections, in 2012.
He replied stiffly, "That's for the legislature to decide."  And said nothing further.  Yet routinely, every year his office recommends election law changes to the legislature.
If California had write-in space in the general election, that would enable third party candidates to continue campaigning in the general election season, asking for write-in votes (California no longer allows third party candidates on the general election ballot for statewide office other than president), which would expand voter and candidate freedom of expression.  With no write-in space, it is obviously impossible for third party candidates to campaign for write-in votes; they simply shut up). Richard Winger 415-922-9779 PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147
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