Secretary Weber speaks with Carlos Palomo Sosa (El Salvador), Isaac Escobedo Rios Sr. (Perú), Francisca Cardenas Moran (Guatemala), Jaqueline Redondo Vasquez (Honduras) Raul Medrano Ruiz (El Salvador)
On June 19, 2024, I, along with some of my key aides briefed a foreign delegation about my role and the Office of the Secretary of State. The briefing was part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, an effort to examine how transparency and accountability in government ensure public trust in the integrity and fairness of elected officials, public servants, and government institutions.
I spoke about how the California Secretary of State (SOS) is a constitutionally established office, responsible for critical functions which impact California residents and businesses. I explained how, as chief elections officer for the state, I am responsible for the administration and enforcement of election laws, administering and enforcing laws pertaining to filing documents association with corporations, limited liability companies, and various types of partnerships, commissions, notaries public and enforces notary laws.
Deputy Secretary of State, Help America Vote Act and the Office of Voting Systems Technology Assessment, NaKesha Robinson explained how all levels of government coordinate to deliver safe, secure, fair, accurate election processes. she described how at the state level, the SOS enforces strict legal mandates that have resulted in California having one of the most strenuous and secure voting equipment testing and certification programs in the country. She also explained that the SOS requires strict chain of custody requirements for voting equipment, software, and hardware throughout testing and certification processes, as well as after such systems are certified.
Elections Chief Jana Lean provided an overview of how the office provides information to as many people as possible in a manner that is both easy to access and easy to understand. She explained that the SOS and local officials follow the California Code of Elections - election laws passed by the State Legislature – that specify numerous rules to support the integrity and accountability of elections in the state. She explained that California has a number of outreach and education programs designed to help socialize information about voting rights and noted that the state translates election materials into numerous languages to support California’s diverse populations.
Assistant Political Reform Chief Kira Rassmussen highlighted the office’s role as the filing officer for lobbying and campaign registration and disclosure documents filed under the Political Reform Act. These Political Reform Division functions play an important role in ensuring California’s elections, candidates, and related operations are transparent and accountable.
The visiting delegation including representatives from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and Venezuela. Through their interpreters, they asked Secretary Weber, Deputy Secretary Robinson, Chief Lean, and Assistant Chief Rassmussen questions about topics such as the number of elected officials in the state, how chain of custody works, and how ballots are stored.
This briefing supported the International Visitor Leadership Program’s goal of enhancing the understanding of the underlying principles of ethical systems for accountability in government and business in the United States. Other program goals include addressing international efforts to strengthen the integrity of governments and businesses; examining the effect of transparency on trade, investment, and economic development; exploring the role of citizens, traditional and new medica, academia, and civil society in fostering transparency and accountability in government; and highlighting the mechanisms that enable citizens to foster good governance, ethical standards, and accountability at the local, state, and federal levels.
