The Dispute Index

Shirley Weber

Portrait of Shirley Weber
California Secretary of State's Office

Shirley Weber is California’s secretary of state.

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What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Shirley Weber on 2026 Midterm Elections, Election Security, and Law Enforcement, among other topics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

Topics in this coverage

Statements by Shirley Weber

Portrait of Shirley Weber

Shirley Weber

Role at the time: California Secretary of State

Condemned

Statement summary

Weber disputes the evidence for DOJ's list and objects to its 48-hour deadline and proposed ballot restrictions.

“This is an emergency of the DOJ’s creation.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Shirley Weber rejects DOJ ballot-segregation demandsLetter responding to October 13 demand, pages 1-3
Why we used this label

The issue is dOJ's demand to segregate flagged California mail ballots and withhold tabulation until citizenship verification. She expressly criticizes the proposed restrictions; willingness to examine real evidence does not dilute that rejection.

Read statementDOJ seeks to set aside flagged California ballots; Weber disputes its evidence
Portrait of Shirley Weber

Shirley Weber

Role at the time: California secretary of state

Condemned

Statement summary

Weber welcomes the stay denial and opposes changes that could cause uncertainty or rejection of ballot mail.

“Now, let the people vote!”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Weber, Bonta and Newsom respond to Supreme Court mail-voting decisionPress release 26-116; separately attributed quotation blocks
Why we used this label

Opposes implementation by endorsing its prevention before the election.

Read statementShould Trump’s new mail-in voting restrictions apply to the 2026 midterms?
Portrait of Shirley Weber

Shirley Weber

Role at the time: California Secretary of State and real party in interest in Cervantes v. Bianco (through counsel)

Condemned

Response to this claim

Elections Code section 15551(d) requires that voted ballots never be taken from the elections official's custody, so Sheriff Bianco violated it when he removed the Riverside County ballots from the Registrar of Voters, even under a search warrant.

“In the Secretary of State’s view, the legally required and proper course is an order directing Sheriff Bianco and his office to immediately return the seized ballots and election materials to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. … Sheriff Bianco violated Section 15551’s clear mandate when he removed voted ballots from the custody of the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. For that reason alone, the Court should issue an order compelling the return of those ballots and related materials to the proper custodian dictated by the Elections Code.”
Read the original text (opens in a new tab)Brief of Real Party in Interest California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber Concerning the Relief Requested in the Petition (Cervantes v. Bianco, S295866) · Supreme Court of CaliforniaIntroduction, p. 5; Argument I, p. 7
Why we used this label

The reference point is the sheriff's seizure and handling of the ballots. Weber says Bianco violated the Elections Code's custody mandate and asks the court to compel the ballots' return, which expressly rejects the seizure as unlawful.

Read statementWas Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's seizure of about 650,000 ballots lawful?

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.