Election day is finally here — the day that will determine Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fate as leader of the Golden State. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s on the ballot, how to vote and more.
Q: What exactly is up for a vote on Sept. 14?
A: Just tuning in? Don’t be embarrassed. We won’t tell. Two things. The first, whether Gov. Gavin Newsom should be recalled — which means removed from office. The second, who should replace him if he’s removed.
There are 46 candidates listed under the second question, although one — Doug Ose — recently dropped out of the race after suffering a heart attack. Voters can also write in a different candidate, but those votes will only be counted if the person has filed papers to appear on the certified list of write-in candidates.
If more than 50% of voters say yes to the removal question, the person who wins the most votes on the replacement question becomes governor, even if they have a small fraction of the overall vote. (There’s some argument that the recall process isn’t fair and debate about changing the way recall elections happen, but for now, these are the rules.)
Q: When is the deadline to vote?
A: Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and close at 8 p.m. All active registered voters should have received a ballot in the mail sometime in mid-August. Ballots must be mailed by Sept. 14, but will be counted as long as they arrive within a week. If you prefer to vote in person, never got your ballot or lost the ballot you were sent, most counties — including all in the Bay Area — offer in-person voting. You can look up your closest polling location at sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place. California also offers same-day voter registration, so, yes, you can actually register to vote and cast a ballot on Tuesday.
Q: How did this recall happen?
A: There have been multiple attempts by conservative groups to oust Newsom, but this is the first to make the ballot and just the second recall to come before voters in the state — the first being in 2003 when Arnold Schwarzenegger ousted Gray Davis. To get on the ballot, recall proponents had to gather signatures equal to 12% of the vote for governor in 2018 — about 1.5 million signatures. Originally, they were supposed to do that by mid-November of 2020. But because of the pandemic, they got a four-month extension. And while the recall proponents originally targeted Newsom for his liberal immigration policies and other policy positions, his handling of the pandemic — including business and school closures — and his decision to dine at the French Laundry restaurant in violation of his own pandemic rules helped recall supporters gather enough signatures to qualify.
Q: How much is this costing?
A: The California Department of Finance has estimated the cost of the recall election at just under $280 million — $243 million for the state’s 58 counties and about $32 million for the Secretary of State’s Office to run the recall.
Q: When will we know the results?
A: Since people have been voting by mail for weeks, many counties have already begun to process mailed ballots and the state will be able to announce initial results shortly after the polls close. The final count could take up to a month. Depending on how close the race is, news organizations that call elections, like the Associated Press, may be able to announce a winner in as little as a few hours, but it may also take days or weeks.
Q: What happens if Newsom loses?
A: The winning replacement candidate would take office on the 38th day after the election, in late October. They would be governor until the end of the term, Jan. 2, 2023. Regardless of whether Newsom survives the recall or another candidate takes his place, anyone who wants to be governor starting in 2023 will need to run in the November 2022 election, meaning there won’t be much time before campaigning begins again in earnest.
Q: Is Newsom likely to lose?
A: This summer, polls looked pretty close. But polling in the last couple of days suggests Newsom is unlikely to be ousted as governor. A poll on Friday from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies found that more than 60% of likely voters planned to oppose the recall.
