California Secretary of State Debra Bowen was a somewhat orphaned figure in the spin room at the Kodak Theater following tonight's Democratic debate. The reason: Bowen, as the state's chief elections official, has remained neutral in the campaign.
She learned that lesson, she said, from former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, whose impartiality as a supporter of President Bush was questioned during the tense recount of that state's presidential vote in 2000.
Besides, Bowen has plenty else on her mind going into Tuesday's election. Specifically, making certain that things go smoothly.
She is not estimating what the turnout will be, but notes anecdotal evidence that voters are unusually engaged in a primary election.
"I just keep reminding people that it's most important to have the results correct," she told me.
Many absentee voters appear to be holding on to their ballots an unusually long time, she said. If they drop off their ballots at polling places on Tuesday, those ballots won't be counted for days.
I pointed out such delays could make news reporters very grouchy.
"If we're slow, you're going to be grouchy for a few days," Bowen said. "If we're wrong, you'll never forgive us."
Bowen is a real class act. She gave a great (and completely overlooked) speech at the Democratic State Convention in April. After most of the Democratic presidential candidates had spoken and the urge to endorse one of them was almost irresistible, she related what she said she had personally told the candidates:
"The secretary of state counts the vote and should not play a role in any campaign. . . . It's a hard thing to do -- to watch and to just make sure the vote is counted accurately and honestly, but I pledge to you that I will always put that above all else."
Election officials should not be elected partisans. But, until that system is changed, I can't imagine having a better elections chief than Bowen.
Voters are holding on to their ballots longer because it seems almost daily a candidate drops out of the field - on both sides. The voters want to make sure their vote counts on Tuesday.