Jones, Wm SoS
<b>The suppression of vote pairing</b>. In brief, web sites sprang up to match Nader supporters in swing states like Florida with Gore supporters in non-swing states like Texas: the Nader supporters in Florida would vote for Gore and the Gore supporters in Texas would vote for Nader. This would have allowed Nader to still get his fair share of the vote and perhaps get into the Presidential debates, while also allowing Gore to carry swing states. <b>Six Republican state secretaries of state, led by Bill Jones of California,</b>threatened the web sites with criminal prosecution and caused some of them reluctantly to shut down. The ACLU got involved to protect the web sites, and the Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Bill Jones two years later, but by then the election was over. The vote pairing web sites tallied 1,412 Nader supporters in Florida who vote paired for Gore, and<b> if only a few more of the 97,421 people who did vote for Nader in Florida had known about vote pairing, the election might have had a different outcome.</b><div><b>
</b></div><div><b></b></div><div><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>William Leon Jones</b> (born December 20, 1949) is a U.S. politician from California who served in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Assembly" title="California State Assembly" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">California State Assembly</a> and later served as California's 27th <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Secretary_of_State" title="California Secretary of State" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Secretary of State</a>. He was an unsuccessful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Republican</a> candidate for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_California" title="Governor of California" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Governor of California</a> in 2002 as well as an unsuccessful candidate for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate" title="United States Senate" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">United States Senate</a> from California in 2004 against incumbent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party(United_States)" title="Democratic Party (United States)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Democrat</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Boxer" title="Barbara Boxer" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Barbara Boxer</a>.</p><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); padding: 7px; font-size: 12px; display: inline-block; zoom: 1; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="background-image: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; font-size: 12px; display: inline;">Contents</h2> <span class="toctoggle" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: 11.199999809265137px;"> [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#" class="internal" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">hide</a>] </span></div><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Early_life" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Early life</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Member_of_the_California_State_Assembly" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Member of the California State Assembly</span></a><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Proposition_184" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Proposition 184</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Assembly_leadership" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">Assembly leadership</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#California_Secretary_of_State" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">California Secretary of State</span></a><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Role_in_the_2000_vote_pairing_controversy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">3.1</span> <span class="toctext">Role in the 2000 vote pairing controversy</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Run_for_California_Governor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Run for California Governor</span></a><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#E-mail_spamming_controversy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">4.1</span> <span class="toctext">E-mail spamming controversy</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Run_for_U.S.Senate" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Run for U.S. Senate</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Career_after_public_office" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">Career after public office</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#Election_results" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Election results</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#References" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></a></li></ul></div><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h2 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19.200000762939453px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life">Early life</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early life" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=1" title="Edit section: Early life" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Born in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalinga,California" title="Coalinga, California" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Coalinga, California</a>, Jones earned his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor%27s_degree" title="Bachelor's degree" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">bachelor's degree</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agribusiness" title="Agribusiness" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">agribusiness</a> and<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botany" title="Botany" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">plant sciences</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_University,Fresno" title="California State University, Fresno" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">California State University, Fresno</a> in 1971.</p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19.200000762939453px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Member_of_the_California_State_Assembly">Member of the California State Assembly</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Member of the California State Assembly" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=2" title="Edit section: Member of the California State Assembly" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 1976, Jones began his political career with an unsuccessful run for the 31st District <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Assembly" title="California State Assembly" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">State Assembly</a> seat against then State Senate aide and future <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress" title="United States Congress" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Congressman</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_H.Lehman" title="Richard H. Lehman" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Richard H. Lehman</a>. Lehman defeated Jones by just under ten points and went on to represent the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresno,California" title="Fresno, California" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Fresno</a>-based Assembly district for six years before being elected to the U.S. House. Jones spent those six years working as a farmer.</p><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">After the redistricting of 1982, Jones again sought a seat in the state legislature. This time, Jones soundly defeated Democrat Clyde Gould for California's 32nd Assembly District seat. Jones easily won reelection five times, carrying at least 69% of the vote in each election and twice running unopposed for the seat. Jones served in the Assembly from 1982 to 1994.</p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; font-size: 16.799999237060547px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Proposition_184">Proposition 184</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Proposition 184" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=3" title="Edit section: Proposition 184" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>One of Jones's most notable contributions while in the Assembly was authoring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=California_Proposition_184(1994)&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="California Proposition 184 (1994) (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(165, 88, 88); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Proposition 184</a>, California's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_strikes_law" title="Three strikes law" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">three-strikes law</a>,</b> which passed with 72%. In 2000, 61% of California voters supported Proposition 36, which scaled the three-strikes law back by supporting drug treatment instead of life in prison for many convicted of possessing drugs. During the November 2004 elections, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=California_Proposition_66&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="California Proposition 66 (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(165, 88, 88); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Proposition 66</a>, which would have further limited California's three-strikes law, was voted down at the polls by 53% of the voters.</p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; font-size: 16.799999237060547px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Assembly_leadership">Assembly leadership</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Assembly leadership" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=4" title="Edit section: Assembly leadership" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For years, Jones was an intra-party adversary of Assembly Republican <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_Leader" title="Floor Leader" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Leader</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Johnson(politician)" title="Ross Johnson (politician)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Ross Johnson</a>, and nearly ousted him from the party leadership. After authoring Proposition 184, Jones was elected the Assembly Republican <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_Leader" title="Floor Leader" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Leader</a> in 1991. In that capacity, Jones worked with the newly elected Republican Governor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Wilson" title="Pete Wilson" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Pete Wilson</a>, supporting Wilson's plans to limit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering" title="Gerrymandering" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">gerrymandering</a> and raise taxes to cut the budget deficit. Due to more competitive districts, Republicans expected large gains in the 1992 election. However, the coattails of Democratic Presidential nominee <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton" title="Bill Clinton" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Bill Clinton</a> and the general strength of the Democratic Party in California led to disappointing results for Republican candidates. After the Republicans' weak showing in the November 1992 elections, Jones stepped down as Republican Leader, despite having easily won re-election in his own district.</p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19.200000762939453px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="California_Secretary_of_State">California Secretary of State</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=5&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: California Secretary of State" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=5" title="Edit section: California Secretary of State" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jones left the State Assembly after being elected Secretary of State, serving two terms in that office from 1995 to 2003. As the state's chief elections officer, Jones stated his goal was "100 percent participation bu<b>t zero tolerance for voter fraud."</b></p><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Use of the Internet was another priority of Jones's during his tenure as Secretary of State. In 2000, his office drafted a report stating that "California citizens should be online- not in line." His plan would called for putting 90% of government services online by the expiration of his term while also "taking important steps toward closing the Digital Divide to ensure no Californians are left behind." Through use of technology, th<b>e Secretary of State's office registered or reregistered over 9 million voters, while purging 3 million ineligible voters from the rolls.</b></p><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Jones was the first California Secretary of State to place campaign finance information on the Internet.</b> In addition to providing instant Internet access to campaign finance reports, Jones launched the nation's first Internet site that carried live election returns on Election Day. Following the 2000 presidential election, Jones developed a 10-point election reform plan to modernize voting systems used in California. The plan was soon adopted as the national model for other states to use.</p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; font-size: 16.799999237060547px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Role_in_the_2000_vote_pairing_controversy">Role in the 2000 vote pairing controversy</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=6&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Role in the 2000 vote pairing controversy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=6" title="Edit section: Role in the 2000 vote pairing controversy" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h3><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vote_pairing" title="Vote pairing" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">vote pairing</a></div><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">During his tenure as California's Secretary of State, Jones may have played a role in the outcome of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,2000" title="United States presidential election, 2000" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">2000 presidential election</a>, when he charged that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vote_pairing" title="Vote pairing" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">vote pairing</a> Internet web sites were illegal. Many of these web sites were hosted in California, and were shut down after Jones threatened their creators with criminal prosecution. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_Liberties_Union" title="American Civil Liberties Union" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">American Civil Liberties Union</a> (ACLU) got involved to protect the web sites, seeking a restraining order, followed by a permanent injunction, against Jones, alleging that he had violated the constitutional rights of the web site creators. The issue could be resolved only after the 2000 election had already occurred. Later, the federal <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals</a> ruled in favor of the legality of vote pairing.</p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19.200000762939453px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Run_for_California_Governor">Run for California Governor</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=7&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Run for California Governor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=7" title="Edit section: Run for California Governor" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 2002, Jones ran in the Republican gubernatorial primary, finishing third, with 16%, behind former <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_Los_Angeles" title="Mayor of Los Angeles" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Mayor of Los Angeles</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Riordan" title="Richard Riordan" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Richard Riordan</a> and businessman <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Simon(politician)" title="Bill Simon (politician)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">William Simon, Jr.</a>, who went on to be defeated by incumbent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_Davis" title="Gray Davis" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Gray Davis</a> in the general election.</p><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jones' campaign largely addressed issues of budget deficits, electrical shortages, and perceived corruption in the Davis administration. Building on his success promoting technology as Secretary of State, Jones's platform contained an eGovernment plank. However, much of his campaign concentrated on his past experience and support from state Republican luminaries like former Governor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deukmejian" title="George Deukmejian" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">George Deukmejian</a>, as opposed to specific plans for addressing the state's budget and energy crises.</p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; font-size: 16.799999237060547px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="E-mail_spamming_controversy">E-mail spamming controversy</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=8&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: E-mail spamming controversy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=8" title="Edit section: E-mail spamming controversy" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">During his unsuccessful primary campaign, Jones drew criticism for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamming" title="Spamming" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">spamming</a> (sending bulk emails to) not only potential voters but also people around the world. Jones hired a professional spammer who hacked into South Korean computers used to help teach school children. The spammer used the commandeered Korean school computers to send out millions of spam emails throughout the world with Bill Jones's spam.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">[1]</a></sup> After the spamming incidents, Jones spokesman Darrel Ng denied spamming was wrong and strongly defended the use of mass email for campaigns as an "innovative way to use the Internet."<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">[2]</a></sup> The e-mail itself reflected this sentiment, stating “This is a new and unique experiment. For the first time in history I am trying to make the Internet the vehicle to provide information to the people of California – NOT 30 second TV ads.”<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">[3]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The hosting provider of the Jones campaign web site terminated its services for the last few days of the campaign. Although no spam emails were sent through its servers (commandeered Korean school computers were used), the spam email directed people to the website.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones(California_politician)#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">[4]</a></sup> Jones was not leading in any gubernatorial primary polls before this incident, so it is unclear if the spamming had any impact on his ultimate performance.</p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19.200000762939453px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Run_for_U.S.Senate">Run for U.S. Senate</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=9&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Run for U.S. Senate" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=9" title="Edit section: Run for U.S. Senate" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Following his unsuccessful run for governor in 2002, Jones tried a run for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate" title="United States Senate" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">U.S. Senate</a>. Although he won the 2004 Republican <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_election" title="Primary election" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">primary</a>over former <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasurer_of_the_United_States" title="Treasurer of the United States" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">U.S. Treasurer</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosario_Marin" title="Rosario Marin" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Rosario Marin</a>, Jones lost the general election to Senator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Boxer" title="Barbara Boxer" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Barbara Boxer</a>, with 38% of the vote. His campaign was so ill-funded that he did not run a single television commercial to promote his candidacy.</p><h2 style="background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19.200000762939453px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Career_after_public_office">Career after public office</span><span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: -0.25em; margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jones(California_politician)&action=edit§ion=10&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Career after public office" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-divider" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"> | </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones%28California_politician%29?veaction=edit&vesection=10" title="Edit section: Career after public office" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">edit<span class="ve-tabmessage-appendix" style="font-size: 0.7em; vertical-align: top; line-height: 1.43em; padding-left: 0.5em; background-image: none !important; display: inline !important;">beta</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: -0.25em; margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>As Secretary of State, Jones had been responsible for regulating the voting-related services of private companies. After leaving office, he became a paid consultant to one of those companies, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_Voting_Systems" title="Sequoia Voting Systems" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Sequoia Voting Systems</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jones_(California_politician)#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">[5]</a></sup></b></p></div>