Debra Bowen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Debra Bowen
29th Secretary of State of California
In office January 8, 2007 – January 4, 2015
Governor	Arnold Schwarzenegger Jerry Brown
Preceded by	Bruce McPherson
Succeeded by	Alex Padilla
Member of the California State Senate from the 28th district
In office December 7, 1998 – November 30, 2006
Preceded by	Ralph C. Dills
Succeeded by	Jenny Oropeza
Member of the California State Assembly from the 53rd district
In office December 7, 1992 - November 30, 1998
Preceded by	Richard Floyd
Succeeded by	George Nakano
Personal details
Born	(1955-10-27) October 27, 1955 (age 69) Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mark Nechodom ​ ​ (m. 2003; div. 2017)​
Children	1
Education	Michigan State University (BA) University of Virginia (JD)
Profession	Lawyer Politician

Debra Lynn Bowen (born October 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician. She served as the Secretary of State of California from 2007 to 2015. Before that, she was a member of the California State Legislature for many years, from 1992 to 2006. In March 2008, she received a special honor called the Profile in Courage Award. This award came from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Early Life and Education

Debra Bowen was born and grew up in Rockford, Illinois. She finished high school at Guilford High School in 1973. After high school, she went to Michigan State University. She earned her first degree there in 1976.

Later, she studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law. She received her law degree in 1979. In 1984, she started her own law firm in California. This means she opened her own business as a lawyer.

Starting a Political Career

Debra Bowen began her work in public service by joining groups like Neighborhood Watch and Heal the Bay. Her first elected job was in the California State Assembly. This is one part of California's state government. She represented the 53rd Assembly District. This area is in the South Bay, Los Angeles region. She served in this role from 1992 to 1998.

In 1998, Bowen was elected to the California State Senate. This is the other part of California's state government. She represented the 28th State Senate District. This district included many cities, such as Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Venice, and Wilmington.

While in the Senate, Bowen led an important committee. It was called the Committee on Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments. She also served on other committees. These included the Energy, Utilities & Communications committee and the Rules committee. She had to leave the Senate in December 2006. This was because of rules called term limits. These rules set a maximum number of times a person can be elected to the same office.

Becoming Secretary of State

In 2006, Debra Bowen decided to run for California Secretary of State. This is a very important job in California. The Secretary of State is in charge of elections and keeping official records. She won the primary election against another state senator, Deborah Ortiz. A primary election is when people from the same political party choose who will represent them.

After winning the primary, Bowen ran against the current Secretary of State, Bruce McPherson. He was from the Republican party. On November 2, 2006, Debra Bowen won the election. She became the new Secretary of State. She was re-elected for a second term on November 2, 2010.

Running for Congress

Debra Bowen speaking at a convention in 2011.

In 2011, a seat in the U.S. Congress became open. This was for California's 36th congressional district. Many people thought Debra Bowen might run for this job. On February 15, 2011, she announced that she would enter the race.

Many groups and people supported her. This included a former governor and environmental groups. However, she finished third in the special election. This meant she did not get to move on to the final election for the seat.

Key Interests and Actions

Debra Bowen is known for wanting to make government information available online. In 1993, she helped pass a law called Assembly Bill (AB) 1624. This law made all of California's bill information available on the Internet. This made it easier for people to see what laws were being discussed.

In May 2007, Bowen ordered a special review. It was called a "Top to Bottom Review" of California's electronic voting systems. She wanted to make sure these machines were safe and secure for elections. On August 3, 2007, she took action based on the review. She said that some electronic voting systems were not secure enough. She then set new rules for how they could be used. She even stopped the use of one system entirely.

Because of her work to make voting safe, she received the Profile in Courage Award. This award honors people who show great courage in public service. She was also interviewed on a TV news show and gave a speech at a security conference.