SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s top elections chief has won praise for publicly sharing her battle with depression, but her frequent absence from office raises concerns about whether she can perform her job ahead of the November general election.
Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who will be termed out of the office in January after serving eight years, said she has been able to work remotely and “everything is on track” with the election. Bowen said she has moved out of the home she shares with her husband and is seeking professional help to cope with her depression.
Pete Peterson, a Republican running to replace Bowen, said the office needs a leader who actively promotes civic engagement and he questioned whether she can do that this year.
“In the era where we’ve seen really low voter turnout, the secretary should really be out there promoting voting,” he said. “I very much hope the secretary gets the help she needs, and I also hope the office gets the help it needs.”
Bowen, a Democrat who also served 14 years in the state Legislature, said she wants to reduce the stigma around depression and show it is a health condition that can be managed within a successful career. She said much of the work of administering elections is handled by her staff and by county officials.
“It’s always fair to ask whether a person is doing their job,” Bowen said in an interview Monday. “It’s also fair for me to say that everything is being done: I’m not going to let depression win here.”
Bowen’s depression was first reported by the Los Angeles Times on Friday.
Sen. Alex Padilla, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state, said in a statement her story could encourage others to seek help for depression.
Civics groups often have criticized the secretary of state’s office for a slow rollout of online voter registration and its difficult-to-navigate campaign finance portal, Cal-Access.
“This is the first time we’ve really understood the difficulties she’s going through,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. “Elections have been run competently for many years in California, so I don’t see it being an issue.”
Kathay Feng, executive director of the nonpartisan good government group California Common Cause, said the job of secretary of state is not part time. She said the secretary of state’s office should assess its operations in light of Bowen’s frequent absences.
Others said they are not concerned.
“The secretary of state doesn’t have to make life-or-death decisions at a split second,” said Jack Pitney, a professor of political science at Claremont McKenna College, who noted other public officials including Abraham Lincoln had depression.
Bowen says depression should be viewed like other medical conditions such as diabetes, and she questions whether criticism stems from stigma around mental illness.
“People who want to make an issue of this really need to think about the message they are sending to the people who are dealing with this for the first time,” she said.
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