Secretary of State outlines funding requests, warns federal laws could cause mass disenfranchisement

Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber and agency staff told the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration that the office needs one-time and federal spending authority to modernize campaign and voter systems, and warned that pending federal measures could force California to shoulder large, unspecified costs to protect voters.

Weber, the state’s chief elections officer, opened the subcommittee hearing saying California ran “an amazing election” despite threats and that “we take this task of being your secretary of state, particularly in terms of election very seriously.” Tamara Johnson, chief financial officer for the Secretary of State, then presented three budget-change proposals (BCPs), including requests connected to the state’s campaign disclosure and voter-registration systems.

The agency requested a one-time $15,000,000 General Fund authorization to continue the Cal Access replacement project (CARS), which Johnson said is operating within an approved project budget and is expected to roll out to users in November 2026. Johnson described CARS as “the Cal Access replacement project” that will implement a data-driven replacement of the current, forms-driven campaign disclosure system required by the Political Reform Act. The agency…