A Guide to the Upcoming California Recall Election

Read BallotReady’s breakdown of the upcoming California recall election and visit BallotReady.org to find your voting information. 

Introduction

Since 1913, there have been 179 attempts to recall an elected official in California. Fifty-five of these attempts have been aimed at recalling a governor. Only two of these attempts have made it on the ballot, and only one so far has been successful: the recall of Gray Davis in 2003.

Now on September 14th 2021, California voters will vote once again on whether to recall their current Governor, Gavin Newsom. Forty-six candidates qualified to be on the ballot, and Larry Elder (Republican) leads the race to win the governor’s seat if Gavin Newsom is successfully recalled. Ballots have been mailed to all active registered voters, and voters can mail them or drop them off at polling places before or on election day. BallotReady is here to help you navigate the world of the recall process in California!

Why recall?

While no specific reasoning is required to recall the governor, signatures amounting to 12% of the votes cast for the governor’s seat in the last election are needed to move forward with the recall proposal. These signatures can be collected at any time. As some might recall, Gray Davis was recalled in 2003 over his handling of the state budget at a time of economic crisis, as well as rolling blackouts throughout California. Gavin Newsom’s recall movement started with policy disagreements, but the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in the governor’s job approval and energized voters who were previously uninterested.

What does my ballot look like?

There are two questions being asked to voters in the recall election:

“Shall GAVIN NEWSOM be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?” Yes or no.

Then, there's a list of 46 candidates who could succeed Newsom if he is recalled. Voters can choose one. We’ve marked up the ballot to denote political parties more clearly (see key below).

Key:

How can I vote?

Ballots have been mailed to every active registered voter. Voters can fill out their ballots and drop them off at their nearest outdoor drop box (most of which operate 24 hours a day) or at drop boxes and hand-off locations inside of their nearest polling place during regular business hours. Voters can also cast their ballots in person early or on election day. To find out your voting options and make a personalized voting plan, visit BallotReady.org to get started. 

The nature of special elections

Irregular elections already turn out less voters than general elections, and this issue has been exacerbated by the moving of the election date from November to September. Some groups on the ground in California report that there is a lack of awareness about the election that could lead to lower than normal turnout. This means that more grassroots organizing is required to get people out to vote and exercise their civic responsibility. Feel free to refer friends, family, and co-workers to the BallotReady website so they can prepare election day plans with ease.

Potential lawsuits?

Some have questions about the constitutionality of California’s recall election process. The process was approved by voters and added to the state constitution in 1911, but the relatively low success rate for recall measures to reach the ballot means that constitutional questions are not brought up very often. 

The issue most critics have is with the recall process and the equal protection clause of the constitution. One person, one vote is the backbone of the democratic process. In California recall elections, there’s a chance that the current governor could receive more votes to stay than any other candidate receives on the second ballot question. This leads critics to point out that in such a scenario the votes of nearly half of the population that turns out will not matter as much as the smaller plurality of votes required to answer the replacement question on the ballot. Courts generally avoid politically charged issues, but if they decide to hear arguments after the election has concluded the finality of election results are put into jeopardy. So those pushing the unconstitutionality argument will want their claims to be heard sooner rather than later.

Conclusion

With the recall less than two weeks away, it’s important that you have access to all the tools you need to make an informed decision at the polls on September 14th. Whether you’re dropping off your ballot, voting by mail, or showing up to the polls in person BallotReady has all of the information you need to access local voting resources. Happy voting!