The California Recall: History and Current Status
Wikipedia provides an interesting historical perspective on recall elections in California. The statistics show a substantial uptick in recall attempts since the 1990s. Out of 179 total recall election attempts, 55 have been for governor. Only one of the 55 attempts was successful—Gray Davis was recalled in 2003. Like the current recall attempt, the 2003 gubernatorial recall occurred during a period of economic instability when numerous factors were operating to destabilize the status quo. Today’s recall proponents are driven not only by Governor Gavin Newsom’s handling of the pandemic but also by ideological differences related to policies dealing with immigration, wildfires, homelessness, and taxation. This election is one of six efforts to remove this governor. A recall election is like a second bite of the apple. Governor Newsom has been in office since 2019 and is serving the first of two terms allowed by law.
The special election to vote on whether to recall Governor Newsom is expected to be held this year, likely in November. According to the California secretary of state, there are a series of steps pending before the recall election can be calendared.
Status of the Recall Effort
The clock started ticking on April 29, when the requisite number of valid signatures were reported by counties to the secretary of state. The next phase of the recall process is a thirty-business-day period in which voters may withdraw their names from recall petitions. County elections officials have an additional ten business days after the thirty-business-day period to report the remaining number of valid signatures to determine if the threshold for the recall is still met.
If it is determined that the requisite number of valid signatures to initiate a recall election is still on record, the secretary of state must immediately notify the Department of Finance of the results. The Department of Finance has thirty business days to submit an estimate of the cost of the recall election to the chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), to the governor, and to the secretary of state.
Next, the JLBC must review and comment within thirty days on the estimate provided to them by the Department of Finance. Then the secretary of state will finally certify that proponents have submitted enough valid signatures to qualify the recall for the ballot. At this point, the lieutenant governor is required to call a recall election (normally elections are called by the governor). The recall election is to be held not less than sixty days and not more than eighty days from the date of certification of sufficient signatures.
The Recall Ballot
California voters will be asked two questions. First, do they want to vote for or against recalling Governor Newsom? And second, who should replace him—a question that is likely to be followed by a very long list of names. In 2003, there were over one hundred hopefuls. A yes vote means you are voting for the recall and against Governor Newsom’s serving the remainder of his term. A no vote means you want Governor Newsom to keep his post until the next gubernatorial election. That is a confusing choice for new voters. If a majority of voters vote yes, to oust Governor Newsom, then the candidate who receives the most votes will become governor and complete the incumbent’s (Newsom’s) term in office.
You Too Can Be Governor
What does it take to get on the ballot to complete the recalled incumbent’s term as governor? A qualified candidate must be a U.S. citizen, must be a registered voter, must not have a felony conviction for misuse of public money, and must either pay $4,000 or collect seven thousand signatures from registered voters. This relatively low bar explains how more than one hundred candidates qualified in the 2003 recall election.
Fifty-five days before the recall election, the list of candidates will be published. It will soon be time for us to register voters and get out the vote!
—Martha Y. Zavala
