The Recall Newsome folks have collected more than 2 million signatures, by the Wednesday Deadline. Once the county officials verify at least 1.496 million signatures, by April 29th, the recall campaign will be able to be placed on the ballot this fall.
California is just one of 19 states that allow California Voters to remove elected officials, by vote, before the end of their term. No particular reason is required to push for a recall on the ballot, just enough signatures. According to state law, signatures of 12% of voters from the last election in at least 5 counties must be included for a recall election to occur.
Election officials will likely announce in late April if the recall campaign submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. If it does:
- An election would be held later this year. A date depends on when state officials complete various preliminary steps, but would likely be in the fall.
- Voters would be asked two questions: Do they want to recall Newsom, yes or no? And, if more than 50% of voters say “yes,” who should replace him?
This is where things get strange. There’s no limit on the number of candidates who can run to replace an official on a recall ballot. And whoever gets the most votes wins, even without a majority, So it’s entirely possible that someone could be elected in a recall while winning less than half the votes.
Thanks to Calmatters.org for the explanation.