Secretary of State Debra Bowen's controversial decision last year to curtail use of electronic voting machines after security flaws were discovered has earned her a national award for political courage.
Bowen will receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award from Caroline Kennedy and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy at a ceremony May 12 at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
The honor goes to "public servants who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences," according to a press release from the JFK Library Foundation, which created the award.
Bowen's decision last August was unpopular with many county elections officials, who felt it was an overreaction after they collectively had spent multimillions on electronic machines affected by the new restrictions.
Stephen Weir, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, declined to comment Wednesday about Bowen's "Profile in Courage Award," one of two presented nationally.
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