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Ruben Major (Born July 4, 1980) is a Democratic candidate for California Secretary of State in the June 5, 2018, state primary election. Major is an Emergency Medical Technician by profession and currently serves as CEO of EMS University, a paramedic training and certification school with campuses in California, Arizona, and Texas. He, his wife, Jennifer, and their three children live in Oceanside,CA.

As a candidate for Secretary of State he is not accepting corporate contributions and believes it is a conflict of interest for the state’s chief elections officer to endorse political candidates. He seeks the office because of concerns with voter suppression he sees coming from the current administration, such as the tossing out of mail-in ballots, the reduction in multi-language polling precincts, the treatment of No-Party Preference (NPP) voters in the 2014 Presidential primary, and the closing of neighborhood polling places. .

Major advocates utilization of only open-source, publicly-owned software for voting machines, not proprietary software running on corporately-owned machines. As Secretary of state he will publish all computer code for this software so anyone can see what is going on inside the voting machines.He believes these systems should be capable of 100% paper audits at the precinct level on election day.

Major also advocates for better systems for voter registration security; same day registration at polling places; immediate notification of voter registration changes and determination of ballot ineligibility. He seeks to minimize provisional ballots by following proper procedure; stop minority disenfranchisement in California by providing safe registration and voting procedures that are free from any federal intimidation or inspection; and provide due process notification if a mail-in ballot signature is missing or questioned; He will assure that NPP voters receive ballots containing all candidates from whom they are eligible to vote.

Major will expand voting rights, protect the rights of the homeless to vote, and work to allow felons to vote if not convicted of voter fraud.

He favors complete election reporting, transparency and accountability, protecting polling locations, expanded poll worker and election worker education programs (including signature training), and increased voter education programs for youth, colleges, rural and urban communities.

Major also wants to make ballot access for candidates less expensive by cutting the fees charged by the state to gain ballot access.

Major is also campaigning on plans to make it easier and less expensive for small businesses to meet state requirements for business licensing.And he wants to assure that the State Archives has all the support it needs to properly preserve and protect the state's records and history.

HIs campaign website is http://www.rubenmajor.com/

EMT certificates from Mesa Community College (2000)

EMT-Paramedic, E-Med., Inc. (2002)

A.A., General Studies - Scottsdale Community College (2003)

B.A., History - Arizona State University (2003)

M.A., Military History - Norwich University (2008)

J.D. - Concord Law School (2016)

When Major was just an infant, his parents separated, and in the process of their separation, he was stripped of his Hispanic and Native American heritage. His father was the son of a full-blooded Yaqui whose parents are buried in the Guadalupe Cemetery.

Major and his mother had an incredibly challenging time for much of his childhood (as it is for many others who grow up without a father).  But with hard work, perseverance, and the counsel of his wife and others, Ruben has been able to make something of his life.

He began his career as an EMT nearly 20 years ago, helping those who could not help themselves: seniors, homeless, substance abusers, mentally disabled, and survivors of domestic violence. He has serviced small towns and large communities; busy interstates and Native American reservations; border towns and metropolitan areas. Eventually, Major obtained his paramedic certificate and began work for the Gila River Indian Community which helped him to better understand some of what he had missed growing up. He later earned a bachelors, masters, and law degrees.

His campaign has been endorsed by a number of progressive groups and publications in California, including:

Resistance SF

Justice Party of California

Mira Costa College Democrats

Revolution LA

Pasadena Foothills Democratic Club

San Francisco 4 Democracy PAC

Our Revolution Humboldt (formerly Courageous Resistance of Humboldt)

North County San Diego Progressive Democrats

Our Revolution Long Beach

Our Revolution West Marin

Indian Rock Our Revolution

Indivisible El Cerrito, El Cerrito, CA

San Diego Progressive Democratic Club

Democratic Socialists of America San Diego.

San Leandro Talk

OB (Ocean Beach) Rag

San Diego Free Press